James Webster Wilson

"We must love them both, those whose opinions we share, and those whose opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in finding it." - St. Thomas Aquinas James Webster Wilson, age 72, of Ocean Springs, MS, passed away on January 5, 2013, after a dignified and courageous battle with cancer. He was born on December 29, 1940, in Meridian, MS, to Edward Charles Wilson and Jane Kathleen Lane Wilson. His father's foreign service career laid a foundation for Jim's lifelong love and pursuit of learning, helping the disadvantaged, understanding the world, and encouraging others to do the same. Before reaching school age, Jim learned Spanish on the playgrounds of Madrid. He also lived in Sweden and England, and in his early years attended Stonyhurst, a Jesuit boarding school in Lancashire, England. In 1959 -- the year Fidel Castro took power -- he graduated from Lafayette High School in Havana, Cuba. His daughters were raised on his stories about the street skirmishes he witnessed between the revolutionaries and Batista's military. He would add that the fights sometimes happened during his breakfast at a hotel, after which the soldiers would sit down at the table next to him, sling their guns on the backs of their chairs, and place an order for themselves. Jim went on to graduate from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 1963, and then he served in the United States Navy from 1963 to 1968. He attended University of San Diego School of Law, and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi in 1972. Following law school, Jim and his family settled in Ocean Springs, where he served as City Attorney from 1977-1980, and then founded boutique law firms in Biloxi and New Orleans. After years of practicing many areas of law, Jim felt his greatest passion was helping seniors, those with disabilities, and their families. He founded Wilson Elder Law Center with the vision of creating not just a law firm but an invaluable resource and support center for families at a critical phase of life. Jim served on the Board of Directors for the Gulf Hills Civic Association and was a past president. He also served on the Board of Directors for the ARC of Mississippi. He was an annual participant in the DREAM Program's golf tournament, and a supporter of the Special Olympics of Mississippi, the Gulf Coast Down's Syndrome Society, the American Heart Association, and the Alzheimer's Association. He also enjoyed sharing ideas with the company of his Tuesday morning breakfast group. Through his affiliations and law practice, he enjoyed meeting so many different people, but he often said he learned the most about life viewing it through the eyes of his youngest daughter, Mary Elizabeth, who has Down's Syndrome. Jim was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Beth Loper Wilson; his brother Thomas Edward Wilson, and wife Charlie; his daughters, Tiffany Jane Wilson Karp; Courtney Wilson Severino, and husband, Manuel; and Mary Elizabeth Wilson; his stepdaughters, Polly Ann Traylor; Kelley Bird, and husband Chris; and Laura Catherine Pemberton, and husband John; and twelve grandchildren from this blended family: Olivia Lane Karp, Alden Wilson Karp, Marley Zee Severino, Tallulah Lake Severino, Sadie Beth Traylor, Addie Traylor, Asa Traylor, Emery Bird, Ethan Bird, Ellis Bird, Reid Pemberton, and Harper Pemberton. Jim is remembered as a witty and loving husband and father, best friend and "#1 cheerleader" to all of his girls, a committed and caring attorney, an avid golfer and reader. He kept his sense of humor to the very last moment, and he will be intensely missed. A Memorial will be held at 3:30 PM Tuesday, January 8, 2013, at Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home, 911 Porter Avenue, Ocean Springs, MS 39564, where friends may visit from 1:30 – 3:30 PM until the time of the Memorial. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to: The Arc of the Gulf Coast, P.O. Box 6651, Gulfport, MS 39506-6651, and Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), 383 Main Avenue, 5th Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851.