(June 9, 1944 – October 15, 2023)
From a mischievous boy on an Ohio farm to an accomplished pilot, combat veteran, community leader, and much-loved husband, father, and grandfather (still with that impish grin and dry wit), Tim Eby lived a life of integrity, service, and, most of all, love and laughter.
Although Tim loved to tell a good story, he was not one to talk about his own accomplishments. So you might not know that he served in Vietnam with great bravery as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) in the Air Force or was a respected pilot for Delta Airlines for over 30 years. Instead, you probably heard stories that revolved around Tim’s relationships with others. He had a knack for connecting with people and was always focused on others, never himself. Most of all, everything he did revolved around his love for his family.
Tim and Judy grew up less than 30 minutes apart in Ohio but met on a train in Colorado, when Tim sat down next to Judy and never got up. Through 59 years of marriage, they raised three daughters and delighted in their four grandsons. Tim and Judy lived in many places during his Air Force career, ultimately making a home and raising their family first in Conroe, Texas, where they formed many life-long friendships, and then in Hico, Texas, where they truly found “home.” Tim loved the Hico community and got a big kick out of telling buddies visiting from out of town that they could just stop the first person they saw and ask where Tim Eby lived. (It worked.)
Tim served on the Hico school board and as a deacon in the Hico Church of Christ and was a mentor and friend to folks of all ages. He especially enjoyed encouraging young people who were interested in aviation. In his retirement years, Tim reconnected with many of his fellow FACs from his Air Force days and will always be fondly remembered as “Capt. Skinny.” Tim wrote beautifully about his combat experiences, and many of his writings were included in a published collection of FAC stories.
In addition to being a gifted writer, Tim could build just about anything, from a dollhouse to a kit car. In recent years, he created beautiful windchimes and wood carvings. He loved to sing, read voraciously, and single-handedly put a dent in the area’s feral hog population. During his many travels, he visited every continent except Antarctica (but he still liked Hico best). Tim’s interests and talents ranged far and wide – life with him was never boring!
A rare form of brain cancer drastically changed the last year of Tim’s life, but some things never changed – his deep and abiding faith, his patience and humility, his relentless love for his family, and that great wit and mischievous grin. Even in his final hours, he was full of gratitude and love. In a most fitting final gesture, he passed from this life at sunrise on a beautiful Sunday morning.
There will never be another person like Tim Eby, and his passing is a great loss. For his family and friends, it is an honor to carry his memory.
Please join Tim’s family in celebrating his life at HiCo Hall, 101 W. Ave. B, Hico, Texas 76457, on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Visitation will be from 12-2 p.m., with a memorial slideshow at 1:45 and services beginning at 2 p.m. Following the service, Tim will be buried with military honors at Fairy Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Foster’s Home for Children (www.fostershome.org) or Blue Moon Sanctuary (http://linktr.ee/bluemoonsanctuary), two nonprofits close to Tim’s heart.
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