119) Jay Roth - In Memorium

Jay Roth (brother to Joe and Johnny, and Uncle to Stephen and I),  passed away last night due to complications brought on by liver failure.  I knew Jay less than most within the family, but I would like to share the memories I have of him and his family:

• Playing football in the icy front yard in Pampa, TX.  Jay played all time QB, and I am pretty sure he had more fun than any of us kids.
• Eating quail that he and Kris shot.  They put my portion on the plate and when I lifted it up several tiny beads started rolling out of the meat.  I was very confused.  I asked why there were metal pebbles in my food and he said that was what they shot the bird with. 
• Looking through boxes of old baseball cards ranging from late 50's through the 60's.  The baseball card collection was a source of several arguments between all the sons and grandsons.  Strange to think how important those cards were at one point in time.
• Three-wheeling at the lakehouse in Pampa.  They had 2 large three-wheelers (250's) and they could go as fast as 20-25 MPH, which is insanely fast when you are a 10-year old. 
• Setting off fireworks during the fourth of July.  Jay always bought the best fireworks because he wanted to make sure each experience was memorable.  
• Talking about Fred McGriff with Jay and Johnny.  Stephen and I got so tickled by Fred McGriff's name that it became our summer battle cry.  
• Skiing with Jay and his family in Colorado and New Mexico.  On my first trip, the chair lift hit me in the back of the head at the top of the mountain.  I had to ride a sled all they way down.  The doctor at the resort told the family not to let me fall asleep for the next couple of hours.  I remember laying in the back of Jay's suburban with him talking to me in order to keep me up.  
• Working at the Batter Up for a couple of weeks during the summer.  I visited Farmington, NM where we worked the cashier of the family owned batting cages.  When times were slow we would try to hit balls thrown at us at 60mph.  The first time I made a connection, the ball knocked the bat out of my hand.  Afterward, I stuck with 50 mph and below.  
• Going to the Texans game during their inaugural season in 2002.  We talked about their number 1 pick of the supplemental draft, Tony Boselli.  We had high hopes for the Texans, that are just now being realized.

Jay lived life to the fullest, which is not always easy to do.  He had strong opinions and a loud voice, but most of all he looked to have fun.  He will be missed!