McBrideJayFuneral services for Jay McBride, age 63, of Brownwood, will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, January 2, 2016 in the Heartland Funeral Home Chapel.  Burial will follow in the May Cemetery.  The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday evening from 6:00 until 8:00.

Frederick Jay McBride passed away at home on Wednesday, December 30, 2015, from complications of diabetes.  A generous and kind man, Jay was born to Jack and Gladys (Miller) McBride on July 18, 1952, in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He was raised in Anson and Odessa, Texas.   After graduating from Permian Basin High School, Jay served in the United States Air Force through the Vietnam War and the U-2 program.

After his Air Force service, Jay went to work for Braniff International Airways at DFW Airport.  Following Braniff’s bankruptcy, Jay built his own company, Aircraft Services Company, at DFW, running it successfully for a number of years.  Jay later sold ASC and was then self-employed as a mechanic.  Most recently, Jay owned and managed Mid-Tex Management, a property services company, in Brownwood.

Jay’s love for life was large.  He enjoyed Drag Boat racing with Southern Drag Boat Association.  His biggest passion, however, was his love for his family and friends.  Jay was most often found quietly helping others through generously assisting the homeless, providing food for the hungry, and giving of himself to anyone in need, regardless of their position in life.  His only request was that his many kindnesses go unpublicized.

Jay is survived by his loving wife, Jane Lockwood, of Brownwood, Texas; his daughter, Jennifer Helm and husband Aaron and two granddaughters, Madie and Megan, of Krum, Texas; his father, Jack McBride of Early, Texas; his sisters and their spouses, Jula and Rodney Hill of Brownwood, Texas; Jeanine and Glenn Webb of Cedartown, Georgia; and Jan and Norm Plance of Dallas, Texas; his brother, Jack E. McBride of Colorado; and a number of nieces, nephews and cousins.  Jay was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.

Condolences can be offered to the family online at heartlandfuneralhome.net.