Jimmie Dimitri

Jimmie Lin Dimitri, 77, of Texas City passed away April 5, 2022, at Solidago Health and Rehabilitation in Texas City.

Viewing will be held at 5 p.m. April 21, 2022, at Emken-Linton Funeral Home in Texas City. Services will follow at 6 p.m. April 21, 2022, at Emken-Linton.

Jimmie was born May 5, 1944, to Jimmie and Ella (Moses) Dimitri in Beeville, Texas. The oldest of four children, he graduated from Texas City High School in 1962 and joined the U.S. Navy in March 1966. He served until March 1968, including a station in Vietnam.

After leaving the Navy and returning to Texas City, Jimmie married Connie Lynn Winters Oct. 24, 1969. They had five children together, plus numerous foster children.

Jimmie had great charisma, with seemingly endless amounts of friends and acquaintances across the Texas City-La Marque area and beyond. It was uncommon for him to go to the store or venture out anywhere without someone he knew coming up to him and striking up a conversation, which Jimmie always welcomed and gleefully engaged.

Jimmie loved sports, spending many afternoons watching the Astros and countless college football games. A fine baseball player himself as a young man, Jimmie later shared his talents coaching youth teams.

Through his work driving around town as a lineman for Texas-New Mexico Power, and his deep involvement in the La Marque Girls Softball Association as a coach and league official, Jimmie touched the lives of many members of the community in a positive way — particularly the many girls he coached and mentored over the years.This included his four daughters, all of whom learned the game under their daddy’s watchful eye. His legacy made such an impact that many years after he had stopped coaching, the organization honored him by instituting the Jimmie Dimitri Award.

When his son Dale played football for the La Marque Tigers, Jimmie was a regular fixture at games and practices. All the players knew to look for his red company truck afterward because he always brought ice water and Gatorade, which was dispensed from a cooler on his truck for all the thirsty kids after their workout in the hot Texas sun.

Jimmie's full life can almost be broken down into two phases: before his aneurysm in his 50s and after. The younger Jimmie was definitely an alpha male — athletic and strong with a hearty constitution and quick temper, someone others definitely did not want to get on the wrong side of. Still, Jimmie was also a caring, sensitive man who always had his family's best interests at heart and worked very hard in his job, side endeavors, home life and recreational pursuits. Jimmie often took his vacation days all at once in the summer, usually four weeks straight in July. These vacations — highly anticipated all year by his children — often entailed a week in the Hill Country, followed by a week at the Landa Resort in New Braunfels, then at the family's former lake house on Lake Livingston for a week, and finally, to the outskirts of Dallas-Fort Worth for a week at Aunt Nina's farmhouse.

Although cherished memories were created during these yearly adventures, Jimmie didn't have to wait for vacation to have a good time. Jimmie, his family and their friends spent many days in the backyard hosting barbecues, games, pool parties, and more.

When he wasn’t working, Jimmie never ran out of projects to do around the house and yard. Weekends at the family lake house in Waterwood always included a work project at the property before the fun could begin — something his teenage children may not have appreciated at the time. But it was all worth it when the fun started — swimming at the country club pool, cutting trails through the woods, fishing off the marina dock, and riding our motor scooters all day and night through winding country roads amid the towering pine trees.

After his stroke, Jimmie overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. He emerged from a coma, followed by intense rehab in which he essentially learned to talk, eat and walk again. The stroke zapped his balance, speech and slowed him down a great deal. Still, he kept getting stronger through the years, recovering much of what he had lost. Some may say he became a kinder, gentler version of his old self — but a good bit of his old fiery nature remained.

Before long, Jimmie had returned to his old ways of staying busy with household projects. He built an outdoor bathroom at every house where he and Connie lived, city permits be damned. Jimmie kept active during this phase of his life, always helping his children when they needed it, as well as helping to raise grandchildren and a host of foster kids, nephews, and nieces. In his later years, he became a dedicated member of Temple Baptist Church in Texas City.

Jimmie’s true influence cannot be known. One can only guess how far his impact reached. It is said that good men must die, but death cannot kill their names. He is preceded in death by his parents, Jimmie and Ella Dimitri; in-laws, Bill and Betty Winters; sister Kathy Dimitri; brother Pete Dimitri; grandson Noah Dimitri; and brother-in-law Gordon Gates.

Survivors include his devoted wife of over 50 years, Connie Dimitri; son Dale Dimitri and fiancée Erinn Callahan; daughters Nicole Dimitri, Cheryl Dimitri, Rachael Dimitri, and Robin Agnew; son-in-law Zachary Agnew; brother Teddy Dimitri; sister-in-law Debbie Gates; brother-in-law Mike Winters; grandsons Matthew Dimitri, Jerod Ruschenberg, and Kyle Agnew; granddaughters Chloe Dimitri, Nevaeh Verret, Cameron Ruschenberg, Peyton Agnew, Natalie Dimitri, and Salone Daniels; and numerous nieces, nephews, and foster children.

Honorary pallbearers are Wesley Hoke, William Michael Winters, Jr., Dean Robertson, Zachary Agnew, Moose Meadows and Dennis Marcum.