James "Jim" Coleman Jr.

James Edward Coleman, Jr. passed away peacefully at his ranch in Batesville, TX on July 5, 2021 at the age of 90.

Jim Coleman was born in Dallas, on April 16, 1931 to Ethel Cecilia Roberts Coleman and James Edward Coleman.

He is survived by his wife, Lorraine Charlotte Coleman of Batesville; daughter Gail Jackowski and her husband; son Russell Coleman and his wife Annette Coleman; son Wayne Coleman, daughter Mary Cheatham and her husband Chris Cheatham; daughter Annette Martin and her husband Tim Martin; son Patrick Coleman his wife Laura Coleman.  He is also survived by eighteen grandchildren, Karen Jackowski, Michael Jackowski, Mark Jackowski, Katie Richardson, Dallas Coleman, Peter Coleman, Jamie Bartula, Spencer Coleman, Everett Coleman, Abbygail Routh, Alexandra Teifke, Margaret Peterson, Blake Coleman,Luke Coleman, Reagan Coleman, Cooper Coleman and Maxwell Coleman and fourteen great-grandchildren, Carli Jackowski, Chloe Jackowski, Kaydence Coleman, Kennedy Coleman, Austin Coleman, Bailey Bartula, Brooklyn Bartula, Berkeley Bartula, William Routh, James Routh, Jackson Routh, George Reifke, Louie Teifke and Finn Jackowski. He is proceeded in death by his son Randall Coleman and brother Ed Coleman.

His faith in God, his desire to live a Godly life, and to pass that on to his children was paramount to him. His wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were his greatest joy. He took a lot interest in their lives, always offering his support and a word of advice. He was beloved and respected by his family and will be greatly missed by them.

After graduating high school in 1949 at St Thomas in Houston, Tx , Jim enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Private First Class. While enlisted, he took a weekend leave to marry his faithful and beautiful  bride of 69 years.

Jim and Lorraine spent their early years in Houston where he enterd the electrical trade and worked as a master electrician in many commercial buildings in downtown Houston.  This path led him to opening a coin operated washateria  and ultimately a coin operated carwash. In 1966, Jim and Lorraine together decided to form their own company which would distribute carwash equipment and help other people in Houston get into the Carwash business.  Before long, he was designing and building his own line of carwash equipment and created Sparkle and Jim Coleman Company brands. The company grew into a very successful business with three of their sons becoming owners while employing other children, grandchildren and thousands of people.

Jim made a difference in the lives of people around him. He was very helpful to others in the carwash industry generously offering his knowledge and expertise. His enthusiasim and vision for the industry was inspirational to others. He received many honors and awards including the Family Business of the Year Award from Baylor University in 2004; Hall of Fame Award from the International Carwash Association 2003; Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwest Carwash Association in 2017. He was also a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

The ranching and hunting life was always a dream of his that became reality when Jim and Lorraine purchased a ranch south of Batesville, TX. They would eventually, retire to the ranch full time. “When I told my accountant, I was retiring and moving down here, he said “You’re not retiring you’re just changing occupations!” He enjoyed hosting youth hunts with the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Texas Youth Hunting Program. Kids, ages 15-17, would come out to the ranch and participate in hunting activities, while learning about the role landowners play in wildlife conservation. His happiest moments were spent entertaining friends and family at the ranch and riding around in the moon buggy looking for big bucks, quail and turkey!

Jim will always be remembered for his strong faith in God, his love of family, his deep patriotism for his country, and his drive to succeed. He loved the simple things around him and never took for granted how fortunate he was.