Mr. James R. Fillip's Obituary
James Roy Fillip (1931-2016)
James Fillip, 84, born on November 9, 1931 near Schulenburg, TX passed away on April 8, 2016. He is preceded in death by his parents, Edmund Fillip and Lillie Spaniel and infant sister, Marjorie.
James, also known as Jim or Jimmy, grew up in the Park Place area of Houston and graduated from Milby High School in 1950. While attending the University of Houston, he enlisted in the Navy and served in the Korean War. Throughout his tour of duty, he lived in San Diego, California; Tokyo, Japan; Munsan, South Korea; and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
James embraced his Czech heritage and enjoyed eating kolaches, drinking beer and dancing the polka. James met his wife, Audrey Dupont, attending dances with the Rosarian Club in Houston in the early 1950's. They married at St. John Catholic Church in Thibodaux, LA in 1956. The first ten years of marriage brought them five children: Mark, Stephen, Monica, Paul and Thomas. For over 30 years, James worked as an operator at Rohm and Haas in Deer Park,TX where he was simply known by his nickname, "Mex". He retired from there in 1993.
In his retirement, James and his wife became active members of a community group through which they made many friends. Both avid travelers, Jim and Audrey took several trips throughout the continental US and Hawaii. They also enjoyed frequent day trips with a local travel club for retirees. Retirement afforded James more time to spend with his first grandchild, Sarah. He and Sarah cherished the hours that he babysat her after preschool, taking her "cruising" and making her waffles.
James worked with his father's construction business in Houston while growing up and became an excellent carpenter. He played a role in building several houses in the Park Place area of Houston and in Angleton, TX. He once single-handedly reroofed his entire house and even built his own garage. He passed his carpentry knowledge and skills down to his sons who appreciate and are proud of that knowledge.
His children remember that he always kept many maps and atlases near his living room chair and that many trips were planned from that recliner. You could ask him about any location and he would get excited about showing you on a map. Whenever family or friends would come to visit Houston, James was the ultimate tour guide, taking them around and showing them the sites in and around Houston and Galveston. He also had an incredible sense of direction - knowing all the back ways around Houston as well as the maze of halls in MD Anderson in recent years.
Always the jokester, James would always take his time eating dinner on Christmas Eve to work his children into a frenzy waiting to open their Christmas presents which could only happen once everyone had finished dinner. This same sense of humor also kept his nurses entertained in recent years. James was a fighter until the end. His last few years have been filled with treatments and surgeries that would break the spirit of most, but James always came through with grace, strength and determination. James was a gentle soul who was always quick with a smile and a joke and will be missed by all.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Audrey Fillip and their five children (and spouses); Mark (Roya), Stephen, Monica (Hugo), Paul (Kerry), Thomas (Tracy) and six grandchildren; Sarah, Amanda, Nicholas, Madeline, Frank and Emily.
Visitation: Wednesday, April 13 from 5 pm - 8 pm at South Park Funeral Home with a Rosary at 7 pm. Funeral Mass: Thursday, April 14 at 10 am at St. Christopher Catholic Church 8150 Park Place Blvd.
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