Billy James “Jimmy” Avery, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend of Odessa, Texas entered the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Friday, April 26th, 2024. He was 82 years old.

Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 2nd, at the White Family Funeral Home in Bowie, TX.

Funeral services will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3rd, at the First Free Will Baptist Church in Bowie, Pastor and family friend, Doyle Wade is officiating.

Burial will follow at Salona Cemetery in Bowie. Pallbearers will be John Coffey, Tim Green, Mark Jackson, Chad McCracken, Larry Overstreet, Kurt Jackson. Honorary pallbearers include Joe McCracken, Terrell Hill, Louie Jackson, Gary Odle, and Kevin Bryan.

Jimmy was born in Bowie to LR and Elsie (Johnson) Avery on March 25, 1942. He graduated from Bowie High School, where he played on the football team making all district and all area his Senior year. He then went to play football at Cameron University.

On August 3rd, 1963, Jimmy married his high school sweetheart, Judy Elizabeth Overstreet Avery. This began a love story that would last 61 years. Together they began a remarkable life and raised two beautiful girls, Kimberly Avery and Kelly Haring. He had an amazing career at Shell Oil where he retired after 30 years.

He was an avid hunter and fisher, loved his western movies, and never missed a Texas Longhorn football game. His true passion in life though was his family and most knew him as their beloved “Poppa”. His family was his pride and joy and would have done anything for them. Poppa had the natural ability to put a smile on anyone’s face and always leave you with a laugh, he knew how to have fun and be the life of the party. Jimmy Avery was a hard-working man whose life was dedicated to his loving family.

He is preceded in death by his parents, LR and Elsie (Johnson) Avery, and sister Colleen Hunt.

Jimmy is survived by his loving wife, Judy; his children, Kimberly Avery and Kelly Haring, all of Odessa; nephew, Lanny Hunt of Wichita Falls, TX; cousins, Mike Avery of Longview, TX and Terry Tucker of Fort Worth, TX. He was a proud Poppa to Ashley Bryan and husband Kevin of Fort Worth, and one great- grandchild, Conner James Bryan, named after his beloved Poppa.

Arrangements entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home of Bowie, Texas.