James Gary Cash required little more than the love of family and the great outdoors to savor life.
The eldest of three children, James began life in rural Flynn, Texas. In 1953, the family moved to Dickinson where bayous replaced his sandy loam playground. He never missed a day of school and was never tardy. He developed a stellar work ethic very early in life. After James graduated from Dickinson High School in 1964, he worked long hours at a gas station.
In 1965, he was cohersed into a blind date with Reba Ann Matzig at a church Sweetheart Banquet. “Love at first sight”, he grinned, and they married in June of the same year and took up residence in a garage apartment in the Heights. He attended business college to become a draftsman.
Desiring the rural life for his small children Carrie and James Jr. (Jimbo), he purchased some wooded land and built his own house in Spring, Texas. He worked hard all week, but weekends were filled with gardening and tinkering in his garage, but mostly providing the ultimate playground to share with his children. He had a youthful inclination for play, and the holidays most of all revealed his giddy childlike side.
He worked most of his career as an estimator/project manager for McDermott/Hudson Products until 2012. James happily traded his 3 hour commute for 3 mile jaunts across the golf course. He filled his days with nature walks, fishing and taking his wife to Louisiana for some gambling fun. He and Reba laughed at the irony of receiving a clock upon retirement, a gadget he would no longer care about. One of his greatest achievements was hitting a hole in one, not once but twice, last year.
James is survived by his wife Reba, two children, Carrie (and husband Luis), and James (and wife Jodie), his grandchildren Jake, Colby, Carson, Chipper, along with great-grandchild Colby Jr. His sister Jean also survives him.
Selfless to the end, James was devoted to his family, and gave everything he had in his power to care for them. He is an example to us all – that money does not buy happiness, yet when earning it, humbly go above and beyond what is expected of you.
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