Harold "Jimmy" Fife

On February 14, 2023, Harold James (“Jimmy”) Fife, passed peacefully on his ranch in Montgomery, Texas. He was 76 years old.

Jimmy is survived by his wife, Dianne Fife of Montgomery; his children, Stacey Beckworth and her husband Brad of Austin, Isaac Fife of Richards, and Cody Wright of Montgomery; and his grandchildren, Caroline Beckworth, Katie Beckworth, Isabelle Bendele, Keller Bendele, Claire Wright, Luke Fife, and Wade Fife. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold P. Fife and Sybil Chumley Fife, and his grandson, Remington. 

Jimmy was born on October 19, 1946, in Houston, Texas. After graduating from Sam Houston High School in 1965, Jimmy went on to attend Sam Houston State University where he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Science and Master’s Degree in Education. 

Jimmy had two loves in his life: his family and ranching.  His first love was his family.  Jimmy married Dianne Smith in 1971. They were married for 52 years.  Dianne and Jimmy did something that is very unusual by today’s standards: for 52 years, they lived in the same house on their ranch for their entire marriage. Jimmy’s mother and father lived next door. Stacey, Isaac, and Cody were able to walk out of their parents’ door and through their grandparents’ door every day after school.  Many afternoons were spent drinking afternoon coffee at their house and, often, Dianne’s parents, Ruth and Clem, would come join them from their place in Magnolia.  And every time Stacey, Isaac, or Cody had a birthday or special event growing up, Jimmy, Dianne, and their parents (and often aunts, uncles, and cousins) would come join them at the family table to eat cake and celebrate together.  There are not a lot of kids that get to grow up this way today. But for Stacey, Isaac, and Cody, this was the only way they knew.  Over time, four generations of Jimmy and Dianne’s family would live there on the ranch with them.  

Jimmy’s second love was ranching.   From the age of 13, Jimmy began working with cattle at the Port City Stockyards.  He continued working in stockyards all of his life including auction barns in Sealy, Navasota, and Conroe to his final auction barn in his sixties at Mid-Tex. Jimmy loved to talk about all the characters he met and worked with over the years. Jimmy and Harold worked their land and cattle together and they grew it, piece by piece, into a true Texas showplace.   Harold was still helping Jimmy and Dianne work on the ranch until he was 97 years old!  Although they worked on the ranch side by side together with all of the children over the years, Isaac would become a true cowboy.  Harold, Jimmy and Dianne taught Isaac everything they knew and he is carrying on that same tradition for the next generation of Fifes.

Jimmy used his degree and life experiences as a cowboy to teach “Ag” for 29 years in Montgomery County high schools.  He used his real-world knowledge, and his—let’s call it “unique”—way of saying things, to teach hundreds of students about ranching, livestock and even metal work.  One of Jimmy’s primary focuses as a teacher was to help his students learn how to raise animals or make products that they could show in the Houston and Montgomery County Fairs and sell to raise money to go to college. His goal was to use his love of land and cattle to bring out the best in his students. 

Jimmy’s top student was Stacey.  They worked up a plan for her to show steers at the Montgomery County Fair and sell them to raise money to go to college.  They spent countless hours learning about genetics and working together after school and on weekends and holidays.  While Stacey’s friends were out doing what high school kids normally do, Stacey was out in the barn with her dad.  Stacey and Jimmy never did win Grand Champion—something the two of them were still talking about and trying to figure out the week that Jimmy passed away.  But, their hard work still paid off.  Stacey made it to the sale every year and she still holds the record for the highest sales price ever in the Montgomery County Fair for a crafts project.  Due to her and Jimmy’s hard work, and the support of many of Dianne and Jimmy’s lifelong friends from Montgomery County, she was able to earn enough money to pay her way through college and become a teacher like her father.  And, Cody would later do the same thing.  More importantly, Jimmy was able to use this time teach his children about the importance of hard work, discipline, and a little luck.

After retiring from teaching, Jimmy and Dianne worked together to create the ranch and cattle operation of their dreams in Limestone County. Their fondest memories are riding the ranch together, working their cattle, and helping raise their grandchildren.

A week or so before he passed, Jimmy told his family that if the time came for him to move on, he wanted to be on the ranch doing what he loved to do.  And that’s exactly what happened.  Jimmy passed away on Valentine’s Day right where he wanted to be, in the home he and Dianne shared for more than 50 years with Dianne, Isaac, and Stacey by his side.

A funeral service for Jimmy is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, February 17, at Klein Funeral Home in Magnolia.