Roll Call Tribute

James David McMaster
April 3, 1930 – May 19, 2022

James David (JD) McMaster age 92 always lived life the way he wanted and he passed on his own terms May 19, 2022 in Cypress, Texas.

After serving as a Master Sergeant in the Air Force in Fairbanks, AK, he met the love of his life in a diner in New York. JD knew that Frankie was the only one for him and they married after 3 weeks. They recently celebrated 70 years of married bliss. My parents always worked together and they were an inspiration on how to love. JD was a proud Texan and decided to move back to Texas to attend Texas A&M. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in Business Administration.

My Dad always wanted to do things his way so he was involved in various businesses. He is most well known for his McMaster’s Rice Hull Compost. He bought a sand pit in the middle of Houston and convinced the area rice mills to dump the hulls off the rice in his pit. He composted them and sold the composted rice hulls to various golf courses and athletic fields. McMaster’s Composted Rice Hulls were also found in southeast United States nurseries and feed stores. My parents always enjoyed growing various plants so later on he decided to open a plant nursery which eventually expanded to several locations. My Dad enjoyed finding unusual plants that were easy to grow in the Houston area. When my parents finally decided to retire they bought a small farm in Cypress. It was less than a year and my Dad decided to grow blackberries and vegetables. They got tired of picking everything they were growing so they decided to open to the public. My Dad called it Blackberries of Houston. The nice thing about picking his blackberries was they had no thorns. Every year my Dad looked forward to opening so everyone would come and pick his blackberries. They had many people that would come year after year. People would even have their parties at my Dad’s farm. And, he Loved every minute it.

My Dad was a devout born again Christian and was one of the first listeners of KHCB radio. When I was growing up, every evening he would listen to J. Vernon McGee, Going Through the Bible. JD was also a proud member of the Guadalupe Masonic Lodge #109 A.F & A.M. in Seguin, Tx. He was an endowed member of almost 70 years. My Dad loved his family and was proud of his Texas Heritage which goes back to the 1840’s.

Towards the end of his life, we were blessed with friends that wanted to help care for both of my parents. I want to especially thank Elda Reyna who put up with all my Dad’s shenanigans. Elda has become the sister that I never had. Lenny Vargas who helped my Dad with the farm. When my Dad would fall, Lenny is the first one we would call to help pick him up. Lenny truly loves my parents and they loved him. And, Dr. Kelly Englund who I would text morning, noon and night with questions. She is more than just a doctor, I feel like she has become a member of our family. My parents have many friends that have helped and I can never thank you all enough.

JD is survived by Maxine “Frankie” McMaster and daughter, Susan McMaster Turell and her husband David J. Turell, MD. Brother: Marshall G. McMaster, Jr. and his wife, Pauline. Nephews: John McMaster and his wife, Karen, daughter, Morgan; Neal and his wife Mary; and Father Brian.

A celebration of JD’s life will be announced in the future.

For those desiring to offer a memorial contribution in JD's honor please consider KHCB Radio Houston Christian Broadcasters, Inc., 2424 South Blvd., Houston, TX 77098, 713-520-5200, ww.khcb.org or The Guadalupe Masonic Lodge, PO Box 925, Seguin, TX 78155