James Jay Kaster V

Family-Placed Obituary

James Jay Kaster,V 1933 - 2005 James J. (Jim) Kaster, age 72, of Austin, passed away on Friday, July 22, 2005. He was born on July 4, 1933, in El Paso, Texas. Kaster graduated with Honors from then Texas Western College (now U.T. El Paso) in 1957 with a B.B.A. Degree. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He was named El Paso's Outstanding Young Man in 1964. He was also past president of the El Paso Downtown Lions Club and also the Austin Founder Lions Club. He was a Past District Governor of Lions. From Lions International he received three International President's Awards and Lions International's highest award, the Ambassador of Goodwill Award. He also received the Gold Nugget Award from the University of Texas at El Paso School of Business in 1988. He served in the Texas House of Representatives for four terms from El Paso beginning in 1971, and was later El Paso County Tax Assessor- Collector. He then became Legislative Liaison for Governor William P. Clements from 1979 to 1983 and 1987. Clements appointed Kaster to the Industrial Accident Board (now Workers Compensation Commission) and then later appointed him Chairman of the Texas Employment Commission. Since retirement, Jim enjoyed driving a school bus for the Eanes Independent School District. He served on the General Staff of the Confederate Air Force in Midland for eight years. In his last year he served as Chief of Staff. He has also been on the McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors for over 20 years. Kaster is preceded in death by his wife Helene, his father Jim (former Postmaster of El Paso) and his mother, Louize. He is survived by his six children, Jim Kaster, VI of Denver, Colorado, Deborah and husband Brad Pfluger, Laura and husband Tom Mathews of Austin, Kathie Geary of Williamsville, Illinois, John Kaster of Galveston and Rustie Kaster of Dallas. He had eight beloved grandchildren, Grant, Audrey and Marshal Pfluger, Austin and Taylor Geary and Kayla, Devin and Haley Kaster. He is also survived by his sister Dr. Barbara Kaster of Destin, Florida and niece, Kimberley Herard of Stewart, Mississippi. Jim was a devoted and beloved husband and father. He served his county and his state with pride, diligence and honesty. He was a man of unquestioned integrity with an ever- positive outlook and uncanny zeal for life. He took great pride his family, enjoyed a good joke, fine food and wine, and was an accomplished chef. Jim had a lifelong love of flying which began in the seat of a crop duster at age 4. Jim will be missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him. The family will receive friends on Monday evening at Harrell Funeral Home from 6:00 till 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at St. David's Episcopal Church on Tuesday, July 26, 2005, at 2:30 p.m. Burial will be in the State Cemetery. Pallbearers will be his sons Jim Kaster, John Kaster, Rustie Kaster, his sons-in-law Brad Pfluger and Tom Mathews and his grandson, Grant Pfluger. Honorary pallbearers will be grandsons, Austin Geary and Marshal Pfluger. Donations may be made to St. David's Episcopal Church, American Airpower Heritage Foundation of the Confederate Air Force in Midland or the McDonald Observatory. Funeral services are under the direction of Harrell Funeral Home in Austin.