James Edmund "Jim" Castellaw, age 84, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 8, 2024, at his home in New Braunfels, Texas. Born March 8, 1940, and raised on a cattle ranch in Dimmit County, Texas, he is the youngest of E.G. and Louise Castellaw's three children.

He played quarterback for the Carrizo Springs Wildcats and married his high school sweetheart Linda Moore. He attended Texas A&M University majoring in agriculture but transferred to Southwest Texas State University to complete his education alongside his wife who was enrolled there.

Upon graduation, they returned to Dimmit County, raised a family, and ranched there until 2009, when he sold the cattle ranch and moved to New Braunfels, Texas. Instead of just retiring and enjoying his grandchildren, he started a whole new ranching venture in Stockdale, Texas.

For many years, he was Director of the Dimmit County Farm Bureau and Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Services. He founded the Castellaw Cattle Company and ranched in Southwest and Central Texas and Chama, New Mexico. When old school ranching evolved into artificial insemination, he became immersed in the show cow industry raising exotic cattle that won many trophies and accolades throughout the stock show circuit.

Jim Castellaw was a cattleman by blood, learning many cowboy lessons from his grandfather James Carl Johnson. Things like "don't ever fall in love with a cow." The one piece of wisdom from his grandfather that he often repeated was: "You buy a bunch of cows, and you think you're gonna make a whole lot of money, but you won't. Because, all of a sudden, the rain stops falling, the grass dries up, the sand blows and you have to burn prickly pear.  You think you'll go broke, but you won't. Because, all of the sudden, the rain starts falling, the grass gets green, and the cows get fat, and you get excited again and think you're gonna make a whole lot a money, but you won't."

Preceded in death by his parents, Edmund Gervase Castellaw and Elna Louise Johnson, brother Carl Dee Castellaw, sister Janelle Betty Sherry and wife of almost 50 years Linda Moore Castellaw. He is survived by his two sons James Clark "Jimmy" Castellaw of New Braunfels, Texas and Toby William Castellaw of Stockdale, Texas, granddaughters Julia Skylar and Lindy Katherine and great-granddaughter Lillian, nephew KaLane Sherry of Stockdale and nieces Susan and Hannah Castellaw of San Antonio.

Family and friends are invited to his viewing on Tuesday November 12 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home, 189 North Seguin Avenue, New Braunfels, Texas. His funeral will be held in Carrizo Springs, Texas on Sunday, November 17 at the First Baptist Church, 706 W. Houston St. Viewing will take place at 2:00 p.m. with services to begin at 2:30 p.m. followed by a procession to Mount Hope Cemetery for burial. Funeral services are provided by Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home. Everyone is encouraged to gather afterwards at Rosita's, 604 N. 1st St. for a meal and to reminisce.