J.V. ‘Jay’ Vinyard
J.V. “Jay” Vinyard of Amarillo, Texas, passed away October 30. Graveside services were held at 3 p.m. Monday, November 8, 2021, at Llano Cemetery in Amarillo, Texas.
Jay was a beloved and dedicated husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
While his passing saddens us, we are filled with joy that he touched our lives with his life, his knowledge, his generosity and his patriotism.
Overflowing with character and integrity that was incomparable by any measure, he was truly a member of the “Greatest Generation.”
Jay was born August 7, 1923, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He served during World War II in the Army Air Corps as a pilot assigned to the Air Transport Command.
He served in the China-Burma-India Theater July 1944 until February 1945 and flew 87 missions over the “Hump” between India and China.
He married Sarah “Sally” Caroline Tucker on March 7, 1945, at Monticello, Arkansas. They raised three sons and had 60 years together before her passing in 2005. Jay was an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration. In 1984 he retired as chief traffic controller in Amarillo.
He was a member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and a member and past president of Amarillo Downtown Lions Club. He managed and was president of the Amarillo administrative office of the CBI Hump Pilots Association.
Jay married Ruby Pipes of Choudrant, March 28, 2011. In Choudrant, he made many new friends and became part of Ruby’s family. He was a member of the Ruston Lions Club, and attended Longstraw Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by parents, Clyde and Hazel Vinyard; wife, Sarah Vinyard; and sons, James V. Vinyard and Michael C. Vinyard.
Survivors include wife, Ruby Pipes Vinyard of Choudrant; one son, Robert C. Vinyard of Austin and wife Becky; daughter-in-law, Diane Vinyard of Amarillo; daughter-in-law, Rena Vinyard of Albuquerque; and sister, Jean Pederson of Bellevue, Nebraska; Nine grandchildren, Kevin Wilson, Damon Vinyard, Dale Jones, Margaret Diaz, Paul Vinyard, Kenneth Vinyard, Micah Kane Vinyard, Amy Vinyard and Joshua Vinyard; and eight great-grandchildren.
For those who wish to make a donation in Jay’s memory, the family suggests the Lions Club. Amarillo Downtown Lions Club Foundation (806-373-0648) Ruston Lions Club (Contact Dr. Robert Daulton 318-3245-1497 or robert@the gospelinc.com. Boxwell Brothers of Amarillo, Texas, is handling the arrangements.
