Joseph Harold Gay

On October 5, 1949, Don and Helen welcomed their first and only son, Joseph Harold Gay. He was raised in Cleveland, Texas, alongside his older sister, Dona. At an early age, he learned the virtues of hard work, spending many long hours helping his father run the family business, Gay & Son, a water well drilling and servicing company. He thoroughly enjoyed athletics, playing on the baseball, basketball, football, and track and field teams at Cleveland High School. In 1968, he graduated from CHS, and in short order moved to the big city of Houston to attend U of H, where he studied business. In 1981, Joe met the woman who would become his wife, Dianna. They married on September 2, 1984, and two years later welcomed their first and only child, Bryan. Joe took great pride in being an amazing husband and father, always putting their needs above his own.

Joe was a man who wore many hats; that of son, brother, husband, father, uncle, cousin, coach, entreprenuer, Mason, friend, and avid fan of Houston sports. He was an unconventional thinker and dedicated problem solver. In his professional life, he worked for, founded, and ran many successful businesses in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, construction, marketing, and business consulting. He was a fantastic and ingenious provider, always up for a new challenge, fearless in his ventures, and constantly thinking of new ways to improve the lives of those around him. His career took him to exotic locations around the world including Kuwait, Indonesia, Egypt, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, and Mexico. He had a passion for traveling and learning about the cultures and peoples of the world. Having gained that perspective, he took a lot of pride in his country, and home state of Texas, valuing freedom and opportunity.

An old proverb says, "success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan." Using that measuring stick, it's easy to say that he was incredibly successful in his 67 years. Aside from his biological parents, whom he lovingly served, he had many 'adopted' parents and siblings, whom he cared so deeply for, as if they were his own flesh and blood. Most notable were his in-laws -- Dan and Maija Trevino, and lifetime family friends -- Bill and Juline Petropolis. There are many others, some of whom were complete strangers to Joe, but that didn't matter to him, as he extended his love and devotion to all walks of life, including his furry, four-legged friends. Some of the people that he helped, we may never know about, because he was never one to toot his own horn. If you needed something fixed, he was the guy to call. Joe would drop whatever he was doing to ensure that the problem got solved in a timely manner. He never did it for praise or reciprocation, but rather because that is the way he was raised by his parents, and he genuinely wanted to make sure that everyone around him was taken care of. He was selfless in that regard, and extremely generous in his love and servitude.

Joe passed away on April 30th, surrounded by a large gathering of family and friends, and is survived by his wife, Dianna, and son, Bryan; his sister, Dona Brown, and her husband, Larry; and in-laws, Maija Trevino, Roger Trevino, Danny Trevino III (Karen), Todd Trevino, Judy Duffin (George), Larry Trevino (Mary), and Christy Caesar (Sherry); as well as a great amount of extended family (nieces, nephews, and cousins) and friends whom he deeply loved. We will be celebrating his life on Saturday, May 13th, at 3:00 pm in the chapel of Pace-Stancil in Cleveland, Texas. The family will be receiving visitors at 2:00 pm.

PACE-STANCIL FUNERAL HOME
303 E. CROCKETT
CLEVELAND, TEXAS
281-592-2641