Ronald Thomas (Ronnie) Humphrey

Services for Ronald Thomas (Ronnie) Humphrey, age 71, of Tyler, Texas, will be held on Saturday, August 17th, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at the Green Acres Baptist Church Chapel, 1607 Troup Hwy, in Tyler. Nephew, Will Cagle, will officiate, along with James Craver, brother-in-law. Stephen Carrell, Minister of Music at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, will provide the music. Ronnie passed away unexpectedly on May 18th, 2024, in Rockwall, Texas. He will be remembered for his faith in Christ, his perseverance in the midst of health challenges, his generosity of spirit, his sense of humor, his love of family, and his ability to connect with just about any kid on the planet. He is deeply missed by all who knew and loved him. Born on June 11th, 1952, to Billie Jo and Bill Humphrey, Ronnie lived in Tyler until he was 6 years old at which time the family moved to Longview. He started school at Douglas Elementary in Tyler and after moving to Longview attended Pine Tree Schools where he graduated in 1971. Ronnie enjoyed sports and played Little League and Pony League Baseball. He went on to play sports in Junior High, and in high school lettered in all four sports - Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Track – often serving as Captain of his teams. Ronnie went to North Texas State University on a football scholarship, but at the end of his freshman year decided he would rather work and pay for his higher education. He returned to East Texas and attended Kilgore College as well as the University of Texas at Tyler where he graduated with a degree in Business Management. During his final year of college, Ronnie moved to Tyler and met Jana York in November of 1975 in the Singles Department at First Baptist Church. They began dating the first week in January of 1976 and married on November 20th, 1976. On February 25th, 1982, they welcomed their daughter and only child, Leslie. Ronnie loved being a “girl daddy,” attending and supporting all of Leslie’s school and extracurricular activities. Before he went into business for himself, Ronnie worked at a local lumber company as an outside salesman and later as the manager. Then, for almost 40 years, he was a custom homebuilder and remodeler in the Tyler area. During this time, he also served as Executive Director of Tyler Community Homes, a newly formed PATH program charged with rehabbing properties to serve as rentals for people in need. As a homebuilder, he took a lot of satisfaction in knowing he helped create spaces where families could make lifelong memories. At the age of 9, Ronnie gave his life to Christ and was baptized at Central Baptist Church in Longview. As an adult, he attended First Baptist in Tyler for 20 years and was a member at Green Acres Baptist for 30 years. He served alongside Jana working with every age group from infants to adults. He helped build sets for choir programs and helped decorate the sanctuary for holidays. Ronnie was a faithful member of the Pathfinders Connect Group at Green Acres and enjoyed the relationships he established with these special friends. The last decade of his life, Ronnie was blessed by his precious and highly-treasured granddaughter, Vivienne Estelle Perkins. She gave him tremendous joy and the time spent with her was always full of fun and laughter. In fact, the night he passed away, he had attended her Company Showcase in Rockwall to watch her dance. In recent years, Ronnie enjoyed reconnecting with many of his Pine Tree friends. Those who knew Ronnie well, know he was patriotic and loved the United States of America. Ronnie is survived by his loving family including, Jana, his wife of over 47 years, daughter, Leslie Humphrey Perkins (husband, Russ), granddaughter, Vivienne Perkins, sister, Rhonda Humphrey Craver (husband, James), Randy Humphrey (wife, Maura), as well as Brenda and Dean Cagle, sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Nieces and nephews include: Kim Craver Mays (husband, Kirt), Scott Craver, Kasi Craver Marshall (husband, Griffin), Dylan Humphrey (wife, Kalyn), Andon Humphrey, Will Cagle (wife, Amy), and Catherine Cagle Hammond (husband, Alex). He is also survived by thirteen great-nieces and nephews, as well as one great-great niece and four great-great nephews. If desired, please consider memorial donations to Bethesda Health Clinic in Tyler, Texas. (bethesdaclinic.org)

Ronald Thomas (Ronnie) Humphrey

June 11, 1952 - May 18, 2024