Ewing
James Robert “Jimmy” Ewing, Sr., 87, of Round Top, passed away Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, surrounded by his family.
Jimmy was born March 17, 1939, in Waco, to Arvon Montraville Ewing, Sr. and Ruby Arnell Plemons Ewing. He spent his early years in Waco and Harlingen before his family made Corpus Christi their home. He graduated from W. B. Ray High School in 1957.
On Feb. 24, 1962, Jimmy married Harriet Lee Wood in Corpus Christi. Together, they shared more than 64 years of marriage and built the family that Jimmy considered his greatest accomplishment.
Jimmy and Harriet raised three children - Melissa, Jimmy, and Jennifer - and over the years their family grew to include nine grandchildren and seventeen greatgrandchildren. Of all the things Jimmy accomplished during his life, nothing gave him greater pride than his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Along with his father and brothers, Sonny and Bill, Jimmy began his working life at Service Station Equipment, Inc. He ultimately found his calling in residential construction and development, beginning a career as a homebuilder that would span approximately 35 years. Through JR Builders and later H&J Builders he built many houses in the Corpus Christi and Calallen area. Jimmy was known professionally for his attention to detail and took considerable pride in the quality of the homes he built.
Jimmy believed in contributing to the community in which he lived and worked. As a young man, he served in the Marine Reserves and fed his lifelong love of baseball as a Little League baseball coach. Over the years, Jimmy gave back to his community by serving on the Calallen Independent School District Board of Trustees, the boards of Western National Bank, the Corpus Christi Speech and Hearing Center, and River Hills Country Club. He was a member of the West Corpus Christi Rotary Club, where he served as president, and Corpus Christi Masonic Lodge No. 1337.
Jimmy found himself with an unexpected claim to fame when CBS released the American prime time soap opera Dallas in 1978. Sharing the name J.R. Ewing with the main character played by Larry Hagman, Jimmy spent the next 40 years lovingly being referred to as J.R., collecting various J.R. Ewing memorabilia and was featured, along with his son Jimmy, in the Dec. 29/Jan. 5, 1981 edition of People magazine in a story about real-life J.R. Ewings across the country.
His faith was also part of his life. While living in Corpus Christi, Jimmy was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and served on various committees. After moving to Round Top, he and Harriet became members of Industry Methodist Church and St. Cecilia’s Episcopal Church.
Away from work and community responsibilities, Jimmy knew how to enjoy life. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He had a lifelong love of baseball and football and followed the Houston Oilers, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Astros. After moving to Round Top, you could find him daily either enjoying meeting his friends at the Round Top Coffee Shop or visiting with friends at the General Store in Shelby. When the kids were young, he and Harriet loved traveling through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, and he rarely needed much convincing to enjoy a good steak or a meal of fried shrimp at the King’s Inn Seafood Restaurant.
Jimmy enjoyed a good joke and possessed a mischievous smile that his family will especially remember. He could also occasionally be counted on to ignore the conventional order of a meal and eat dessert first - a small detail that says something about the sense of humor and enjoyment of life that those closest to him knew so well.
But beneath the homebuilder, golfer, outdoorsman, civic leader, and storyteller was the role that mattered most to Jimmy: husband, father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather. Family was the center of his life, his pride, and his joy.
Jimmy is survived by his wife of 64 years, Harriet Wood Ewing; his children, Melissa Ewing Jernigan and husband Derrick, James R. “Jimmy” Ewing, Jr. and wife Michelle, and Jennifer Ewing Summerour and husband Berry; nine grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren; his brother, William “Bill” Bryant Ewing; his sister-in-law, Darlene Ewing; and numerous nieces, nephews, greatnieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ruby Arnell and Arvon Montraville Ewing, Sr.; his brother, Arvon “Sonny” Montraville Ewing, Jr.; and his grandson, Kelley Keith Jernigan.
The family would like to thank Brenham Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Hospice Brazos Valley, and Christobalina Leal for their loving care of Jimmy in his final months and days.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at 10 a.m. at the Memorial Oaks Chapel - 1306 West Main Street, Brenham. A visitation with the family will be held at 9 a.m. before the service.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Jimmy’s honor to the St. Cecilia’s Episcopal Church Building Fund (P.O. Box 201, Round Top, Texas 78954) or the Round Top Rifle Association (P.O. Box 63, Round Top, Texas 78954).
To post a tribute to the family, please visit www.memorialoakschapel. com.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham.