James Braxton Beauston, Jr., 90, of Mt. Pleasant, SC, passed away peacefully on May 3, 2009, surrounded by his family.  The relatives and friends of James Beauston, Jr. are invited to attend his funeral services on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 in J. HENRY STUHR, MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL at 2 p.m.  Burial will follow in Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens.

Born May 7, 1918 in Baltimore, MD, he was the son of the late James B. Beauston, Sr. and Lottie Machen Beauston. He was the widower of Edith Poston Beauston, his wife of fifty-six years. James was preceded in death by a brother, William Charles Beauston and a sister, Elizabeth B. Nesbitt.

Left to cherish his memory are daughters, Marie B. Miller and her husband, William of Ninety Six, SC and Patti B. Hyland of Wichita, KS; sons, James B. Beauston, III of Mt. Pleasant, SC, William C. Beauston of Dallas, TX, John B. Beauston and his wife, Marlene of Daniel Island, SC and Robert D. Beauston and his wife, Melanie of Suwanee, GA. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Mr. Beauston was a member of First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, after being a member of Rutledge Avenue Baptist Church for many years. He graduated from Maryland Institute of Art with an Engineering Degree and also completed Supervisor Education courses at The Citadel. He served our country during WWII in the Coast Guard, based in Charleston, SC.

He was a 68 year member of Solomons Lodge #1 in Charleston. He was Worshipful Master in 1949 and held the office of Treasurer from 1960 until 2005. Over this time he helped to increase the holdings of Solomons Lodge #1 AFM eighty times their value. He was honored as Mason of the Year in 1995 by the Fort Moultrie Lodge and Mason of the Year in 1997 for the 1st and 2nd District Masters and Wardens Club. Mr. Beauston was an honorary member of most of the Lodges in the Charleston area due to his service over the last sixty years. Jim was also very active with the Order of Rainbow Girls in Mount Pleasant.

It’s an honorable man who loves his wife and instills strong life values into his children and grandchildren. Jim loved to have family gatherings and he was known for his strong handshake.

Jim retired from Exxon in 1981 as Terminal Operations Manager in Charleston, with over 35 years service. He loved to travel and he and his wife traveled the USA and abroad at every opportunity.

Flowers will be accepted, or memorials in Jim’s honor may be made to First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, 681 McCants Drive, Mt. Pleasant, SC  29464.

A memorial message may be written to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.