W. Jay Garrett

Whether you knew him as Jay, Budge, Pops or Dad, you knew my father, and you knew a man of that rare sort that we may never see again. A man of tremendous character and talent, he will live with us forever in our memories and in the stories with which he could electrify a room. To have known him is to have known Africa at daybreak, to have felt the calming solitude of a frigid mountain creek. It is to have loved a man possessed of that overwhelming spirit we instinctively honor in all great men. Like a coming thunderhead over the Concho, we could not always wholly understand the power of his presence, but just as the storm cleanses and brings new life, he too gave us the spirit and strength to grow and to keep moving forward on the path.
Pops has left us for the big hunt in the sky. So when the thunder cracks overhead and when rain falls on tin roofs, know that the hunt is good. Know that Dakota’s wait is over and that he is ready.
For now, his wife, his sister, his four children, seven grandchildren, and his baby Labrador, Colt, are comforted by the knowledge that one day we will again see his knowing smile in the campfire light of the woods beyond.

In the early afternoon of October 4, 2010, W. Jay Garrett passed away in his Round Rock home where he was with his wife June Baird, his Labrador Colt, and his sons Justin & Jordan Garrett.

Following his graduation from Ballinger High School, Jay attended Texas A&M University where he earned a civil engineering degree with the class of ’63. He earned his Professional Engineering license while employed with the Texas State Highway Dept. In 1970 he opened his surveying and engineering firm, working in Bell County, Galveston County, and eventually back to his hometown of Ballinger. Following market trends he later relocated to Round Rock where he remained until his death.

He is survived by his wife, June Baird Garrett; his children, Jay “Trey” Garrett III and wife Sandy, Ellen Jeanine “Petie” Garrett Hensley and husband Michael, Justin “Judd” Garrett, RPLS, Jordan Garrett, RPLS; and grandchildren, Cameron, Hunter, Chandler, Gunner, Kelli, Will, Jake, Jonah, and Michaela.

Visitation for family and friends will be Monday, October 11 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Lange Funeral Home in Ballinger. Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 12 at the First Christian Church in Ballinger, Texas.