Martin Van James, 64, of Ellisville, MS, passed away on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, Texas, surrounded by his family. He was born on June 14, 1961, in Yoakum, Texas.

He was preceded in death by his father, Larry Glen James; his mother, Marylou James; his youngest brother, Barry Park James; and his nephew, Cody Mathew Glenn James. He is survived by his daughters, Courtney Shea James (Hammond, LA) and Savannah James (Warsaw, KY); his son, Sean Addison James (Denham Springs, LA); his brother, Justin Kyle James (Denise); and his sister, Gwendolyn Ann James Pitts (Michael), both of Ellisville, MS. He is also survived by his stepdaughters, Amber Renee Cassidy and Emily Susan Ferguson (Denham Springs, LA); three granddaughters, Alyssa, Haley, and Riley Milazzo (Loranger, LA); and a host of nieces, nephews, family, and friends. A special thank you to his friend Cheryl Marshall, who was an angel to him.

Throughout his career, Martin traveled across the United States working for Bechtel, Brown & Root, KBR, and Performance as a Safety Supervisor. In his later years, he drove a semi-truck until his retirement in 2021. He loved being outdoors, drinking coffee, cooking, and visiting with loved ones. He was an avid fan of LSU sports and held his nieces, Kayla, Kaycee, Elizabeth, and his sister(Gwennie Pooh) close to his heart. Martin shared that he had made complete peace with God and his life, and he will be forever cherished by those who loved him.

Graveside funeral services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to contribute to end-of-life expenses may do so via Venmo to his sister at @Gwen70.