Parma, New Madrid, Missouri, USA

Died: February 20, 2021 

Saint Louis, Missouri

James married Delores Marie Dent on March 20, 1981. Together, they had two children: a son, Emerson, and a daughter, Tara Mays, who sadly passed away before her first birthday. Both James and Delores also had children from previous relationships, making theirs a beautifully blended family.

James’s daughter, Debbie Holmes, was raised by her mother in Chicago, Illinois. Meanwhile, Delores’s three children—James Chestnut, Angelica Brinson, and Leon Thomas—were raised alongside their son Emerson in Saint Louis, Missouri.

1. Deborah Holmes: October 21, 1959  

2. Emerson Amos Mays: May 21, 1978

3. Tara Marie Mays: April 26, 1992 - May 21, 1992

4. James Theodore Chestnut

5. Angelica Delores Brinson

6. Leon Henry Thomas