James B. Tyree, or “Jimmy” to his family and friends, died peacefully on January 3, 2025. Jimmy lived his life to the fullest and these few words illustrating his successful and interesting life will not adequately paint his life’s masterpiece. When Jimmy Tyree entered a room, his zeal for life and magnetic charm was instantly noticed, not to mention his notorious laugh and contagious smile along with those brilliant blue eyes. And one could always hear a bold “Gig’em” at the end of his conversations.
When Jimmy met other people, he drove the conversation in their direction, always wanting to hear their story. Jimmy’s humble beginnings shaped this inquisitive nature of others. He was born in Baytown, Texas, on October 11, 1932, during the Great Depression. Jimmy grew up with his parents in a boarding house, The Tyree Hotel, that his grandmother built and operated. Being the only child in the hotel, he was exposed to many stories around the “homestyle” dinner table with various locals and oil refinery workers. He also relished spending summers at his relative’s poultry farm in Gonzales, Texas. During his senior year in high school, he attended an Aggie Bonfire and was mesmerized by the spectacle and Aggie enthusiasm, including the energized Yell Leaders. In 1950, he enrolled at the University to make his dreams come true. The Corp of Cadets laid a sound foundation and then Jimmy was elected Yell Leader in his Junior and Senior years. He also served as a Ross volunteer. These formative years shaped his future with a successful, lucrative career and his infectious passion for Texas A&M.
In 1954, he was the first to graduate college in his family, with not one but two degrees, in Poultry Science and Agricultural Journalism. The same year he married his life-long 7th -grade sweetheart, Jimmie Rae Treat, and was happily married for 66 years until her death in 2021. Jimmy was a dedicated husband and father and his dedication to Texas A&M was far-reaching.
After graduation, the Korean War had ended, and Jimmy served 16-months in South Korea as an officer in the Army. His career began in the Chicago area where he worked for “The Poultry Tribune.” His jump from Agricultural Journalism to the Oil and Gas advertising and publication was the result of multiple Aggie network blessings. Jimmy found his way back to Texas with a new publishing job in the Oil and Gas industry in Fort Worth. He later migrated south to Houston, Texas, where he accepted a sales position for a silk screen printing business which serviced the booming Oil and Gas industry. It was during this time that he partnered with several colleagues and successfully started their own company, Screen Graphics, Inc. Jimmy flourished, allowing him to use his natural-born marketing and graphic skills to their fullest. He was most proud of the Exxon account that he acquired when Humble Oil was rebranded to Exxon.
Besides building his successful career and company, his young family life with two children, Jim and Kim, were busy with sports, Astro season tickets, Aggie season tickets, Gonzales farm life on the weekends, and on-going Pitch tournaments which became a Tyree staple, a card game he picked up at the Tyree Hotel. His grandchildren have enjoyed and carried on with this tradition. Later, there were weekends at Lake Conroe with boating, skiing, and fishing and eventually enjoying the beach and costal activities in Port Aransas at the condominium.
After retiring, they moved to Austin to be closer to Jim’s family. After the grandchildren were older, Jimmy and Jimmie moved to College Station. His infectious passion for Texas A&M was evident as he spent years volunteering as class agent for the Association of Former Students and working for the Letterman’s Museum. Furthermore, Jimmy was co-founder and served as president for the Association of Former Yell Leaders (AFYL). In 2005, they initiated a campaign and successfully doubled AFYL’s $1,000 lifetime memberships! During this time, Mom and Dad hosted many Yell Leader gatherings in their home and enjoyed tailgating with family and friends.
Mom and Dad then moved to Arbor Oaks at the Crestview Retirement Community in Bryan, Texas, where they enjoyed their lives with newfound friends. After Mother’s death in 2021, Jimmy found happiness again with his close and dear friend, Cathy Godfrey. They were blessed with a brief time together, full of laughter and fun, before Dad’s decline.
Through the years, Jimmy provided many beautiful and powerful memories and stories for family and friends. We will miss you, Dad…..Granddaddy, Ol’ Partner, Old Army, and Foreman of the Family!
A life well-lived, Jimmy Tyree…..Gig’em!!!
A private family service will be held on February 10, 2025, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Callaway-Jones Funeral Home has made the arrangements with dignity and respect. There will be a Celebration of Life service at Arbor Oaks in the chapel on February 10, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. for family and friends.
Jimmy is survived by son, Jim Gordon ‘79 (spouse, Donna, “his favorite daughter-in-law”); daughter, Kimberly (spouse, Robert) Curling; Grandchildren, Andrew Tyree ‘10 (spouse, Gabrielle), Taylor Tyree ‘13, Christian Curling, and Isabella Curling; and two great- grandchildren, Christian and Eve Tyree.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, Texas 77840. Please designate “TAMF Acct # 57660-Jimmy Tyree ’54 and Richard Biondi ’60 Former Yell Leaders Endowment” in the memo line of your check.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Jimmy Tyree, please visit our flower store.Arbor Oaks
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