Wesley Burress, 61, of Houston passed away on Sunday, January 1, 2023, after a short but very courageous battle with mesothelioma. Wesley was born in Lubbock, Texas on May 29, 1961, to Ronald and Norma (Berry) Burress. Wesley lived his life to the fullest and squeezed as much joy and adventure out of life as possible. He lived a very active life and was devoted to his family and his faith. Wesley will be remembered as a wonderful husband, father & son and a beloved friend and colleague to many. He had a passion for cooking, traveling, and photography. He also loved creating new recipes and competing in the State Fair of Texas. Over the years, Wesley won over a hundred ribbons including five best of show and 41 first place at the Texas State Fair. It gave him great joy to bake and share his treats with family, friends and colleagues.

Wesley graduated from Idalou High School. He then received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in Austin and a master's degree in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis. After completing his graduate degree, he joined ExxonMobil and had a successful and fulfilling 34-year career through many divisions of Exxon: ExxonMobil IT, Upstream Research & Technology Development, Fuels and Lubes – Retail, Fuels Marketing, and Controllers. Wesley also served in many leadership roles within Exxon with the annual United Way Campaign, where he was known as the "Chief Elf". Wesley worked with Catholic Charities in creating promotional videos for the toy drive where he grew their toy drive from supporting two United Way agencies to over thirty in less than eight years. He also worked energetically to encourage his colleagues to participate and serve the United Way Houston community. Wesley brought great joy to many children through these programs.

Wesley is survived by his wife of 20 years, Jamie Loeschner Burress; two children, Elizabeth and Calvin Burress; his mother, Norma Burress; and Aunt Linda (Berry) Loven, who was like a second mother to him. He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Betty Sue Loeschner of Marvell, Arkansas; three sisters-in-law; Jill Starr of Dallas, Texas, Lori Gibbons of Marvell, Arkansas and Susan Schuett (Dennis) of Rogers, Arkansas. Wesley also leaves behind many cousins, nieces, and nephews who loved him dearly. He was preceded in death by his father, Ronald Burress.

Memorial gifts may be made to St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77027; or to United Way of Greater Houston via mail, Attention Reseian Gaither, Finance Department, P.O. Box 3247, Houston, TX 77253-3247 or online at https://unitedwayhouston.org/pay/wesley-burress/.

The memorial service for Wesley Burress has been scheduled for 3 p.m. on January 7th, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer | Houston, TX 77027. Below is the livestream link for this service:

https://www.stlukesmethodist.org/wesley-burress/

There will be a reception in the Fellowship Hall after the service.

Graveside services will be held at the City of Lubbock Cemetery on a later date.

Cremation services are under the direction of House of Angels Funeral Home.