James "Jim" H. Brossett, Jr., a resident of Pensacola, FL, passed away peacefully Friday, June 28, 2019, at the age of 73 after a hard-fought six-month battle with liver cancer.

Jim was born in Alexandria, LA, in 1945. He graduated from Menard Memorial High School and began his collegiate journey at Louisiana State University at Alexandria where he was a founding member of the Circle K Club. He finished his bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering at LSU in Baton Rouge before enlisting in the US Navy as an officer where he proudly served our country for seven years. Jim flew the famous P-3 Orion in countless missions around the world, saying many times through the years that his most notable achievement during his time as an aviator was landing the "bird" on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. He was stationed in California, Hawaii, and Texas and had a short deployment to Okinawa, Japan. His naval career garnered him the Meritorious Unit Commendation with two Bronze Stars, the Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the National Defense Service Medal and the Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal.

During his early years as a naval pilot he met Lydia Sharrett at the "O" club on NAS Pensacola where he danced and wooed his way into her heart. The two wed soon thereafter in 1970 and were happily married for 48 years.

After an honorable discharge from the Navy at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Jim, along with his growing family, returned to Pensacola. He worked for the City of Pensacola in planning administration, spent years employed as a contractor and superintendent, owned two construction companies, and finally retired from the State of Florida Planning Council as a housing inspector. Jim resided the rest of his life on his and his family's six acres of land in Beulah.

Jim loved the outdoors and had a wide array of hobbies including fishing and hunting. He farmed his land, raised chickens, maintained several beehives, restored automobiles and built a workshop that housed countless home improvement projects, among them woodworking with boats, furniture, cabinets, toys, and games as well as stained glass and the occasional unique item requested by family and friends. Jim especially enjoyed spending time with and cooking for his family, becoming an expert at preparing Southern Creole/Cajun dishes. He was known for his witty demeanor, finding humor in virtually any situation. He enjoyed coaching his children's parochial school basketball and softball teams and was called "Coach" for many years thereafter. Jim was a member of St. Anne Catholic Church in Pensacola and served as a volunteer for the Alfred Washburn Center feeding the poor.

He is preceded in death by his parents, James H. Brossett, Sr. and Queenie Brossett, and his brother, Marvin L. Brossett.

Jim was greatly loved by his family that survives him including his wife, Lydia Brossett; daughter, Renee Brossett of Pensacola; son, Joseph Casey Brossett and his wife, Brittany, of Denver, Colorado; son, Michael Joseph Brossett of Pensacola; two grandchildren, Devan Brossett and Mikayla Gill, both of Pensacola; sister-in-law, Rita Brossett, wife of Marvin, and his daughter, Elizabeth Broyles and her husband, Eric and their daughter, Olivia; sister, Frances Herrington of Houston, TX, her husband, Bill, and their children, William, Christian, his wife, Mae, and Katherine.

Visitation will be held 5:00pm until a Rosary to be prayed at 6:45pm Tuesday, July 2, 2019 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel. Funeral Mass will be held 10:00am Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at St. Anne Catholic Church with a 9:30am viewing for those unable to attend the day prior.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to your favorite charity of choice.