William "Jay" Herring

Services for William Jay Herring will be held on Saturday, July 30^th at First Baptist Church of Coushatta.  Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm, followed by the service at 2:00 pm.  Jay died on July 27^th at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Houston Medical Center.  He had been hospitalized for seven months with a lengthy illness and a double lung transplant. 

William Jay Herring was born on Oct. 20^th, 1967 in Monroe, LA to his parents, James & Paula Herring.  He grew up in Coushatta, LA where he attended Riverdale Academy, and especially enjoyed playing football there.  During summers, he helped his dad with crops of cotton, corn, & soybeans on the family farm.  He enjoyed deer hunting and accompanied his dad & brother to favorite hunting camps in Texas.  Jay was a member of the 1985 Plantation Ball Court.  Upon graduation, Jay attended LSU in Baton Rouge where he was a member of the Acacia fraternity.  Jay loved being at LSU and was a life-long avid fan of the LSU Tigers.  He attended games at LSU throughout his adult life and his family & friends knew not to schedule events with Jay that would coincide with attending the games or watching them on tv.  After graduation, Jay moved to The Village in Dallas where he worked and enjoyed being with friends from college, who also lived there.  He really enjoyed this part of his life and living in Dallas for several of years.  Dallas is where he met Michelle Conaway while both were in attendance at the wedding of their mutual best friends.  While Michelle was on a business trip to New York City, Jay surprised her by coming there and taking her to the Tavern on The Green restaurant, where he proposed to her on St. Patrick’s Day.  Jay and Michelle married on April 5^th, 1997 in Dallas.  They eventually moved to Houston where their two beautiful daughters were born.  Jay loved his girls like no other and was the perfect “Girl Dad”, going to countless soccer games, cheerleading events, and everything else the girls were involved in at the time.  He never ever missed an event.  Jay always knew how to put his family first.  Jay and Michelle celebrated their 25^th Wedding Anniversary, while Jay was in the hospital.  Jay and Michelle loved to travel and especially enjoyed Europe.  When the girls traveled with them, their favorite destination was the beach.  They visited many beaches in the United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.  You would always see Jay out in the middle of the ocean, where he truly loved the water.  At home, Jay loved to grill and watch sporting events in his man cave – the backyard.  Jay worked in the field of business to business in telecommunications.  He was a franchise business owner of UBuildIT Houston Gulf Coast, which built and renovated dream homes in the Houston area.  Jay was truly a happy person, an early riser who looked forward to each new day, and always enjoyed life.  

Jay is survived by his wife Michelle and their two daughters, Bailey Marie and Avery Nicole Jamie.  He is also survived by his mother Paula Herring, and sister, Libby Smith.  Also survived by his in-laws, Les & Sonia Oszakiewski and sister in-laws, Jeannette Conaway, Cathy Rosson, Paige Kinnett, & brothers in-law, Blake and Court Conaway.  Niece and nephews are Sadi Smith, Jon Ashton Smith, and Brandon Conaway.  Other survivors are his Aunt Marie Keahey and Uncle LaVance Herring and wife, Judy.  Cousins surviving are Cash Keahey, Drew Keahey, Margo Keahey Presnall, Heath Herring, and Kelly Herring.  Other surviving relatives are Jerry Glover, Connie Hitchcock, and Stephen Posey.  Preceding Jay in death, are his father, James Herring, his brother, Jim Herring, and maternal grandparents Lester & Anna May Vetter.  Also preceding him in death include, Jay’s father in-law, Raymond Conaway, and relatives Helen & Arthur Oszakiewski.  Jay was a wonderful husband, an amazing dad, incredible son, an awesome brother & uncle, and everyone’s true friend.  

A Memorial Reception will be held at Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant - 22704 Loop 494, #A in Kingwood, Texas on Saturday, August 13^th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.  All friends, family, and our amazing Prayer Warriors are so welcome for hors d’oeuvres and refreshments in remembrance and celebration of our beloved Jay.