Jay Ernest Remboldt

Jay Ernest Remboldt, born on March 23, 1962, in Jamestown, North Dakota, and who lived for many years in the Pearland, Texas, area, departed this world for heaven on May 26, 2023, age 61.

Jay was preceded in death by his parents, James (Jim) Ernest Remboldt on November 22, 1988, and Helen Jeanette (Remboldt) Alford on March 10, 2023.

He is survived by his brothers, John J. Remboldt of Tigard, Oregon, and Jerome (Jerry) D. Remboldt of Pottsboro, Texas. We wish to note his special relationship with his sister-in-law, Julie (Remboldt) Box, of Dallas, Texas. He told her in a text, "You will always be my only sister." His nephews, children of John and Julie, are Jacob Remboldt and wife Nichol Remboldt of Mesa, Arizona, and Jess Remboldt of Hillsboro, Oregon.

Jay was a truly unique and one-of-a-kind person. He had an uncanny memory and would always tell detailed life stories. These always included many, many things and events that most of us had forgotten. He became the "Remboldt family oral historian" as he thrilled everyone with his stories at the 2019 family reunion in North Dakota. Jay loved an adventure. One we all recall was his trip to Berlin, where he looked up distant Remboldts and stayed with them. We still have the pieces of the Berlin Wall he brought home from his trip.

As early as we can remember, Jay was fascinated by the camera. After high school, he got into television camera work at a local TV station. That led him through Wichita Falls, Tulsa, and finally Houston until his passing. The texts and Facebook posts from his coworkers and many friends have all complimented his super talents as a photographer, creativity, helpfulness, work ethic, interesting conversations, sense of humor, being a great person, and always having a positive attitude.

Leading up to his cancer surgery, a year-long treatment, and up until his final days on this earth, Jay, John, and Jerry kept a group text string going. This is one of his stories:

"Hey, I forgot to tell you my connection to Queen Elizabeth. I was working at KHOU, and a reception was held at the Museum of Fine Arts. I got the reception gig as the camera operator to shoot video for the world feed. I stood next to the Queen, Prince Phillip, and Governor Ann Richards for more than 4 hours as they greeted people with a handshake. The only real reason I got the gig was that I owned my own tux. Not bad for a kid from North Dakota."

He was always up to something! He called us from the Waco disaster, where he was running a camera. He told us to watch the Dallas TV show, and sure enough, there he was in a scene! He ran the steady cam during the 2011 Super Bowl and told us to watch the indoor volleyball match. We told our friends, "See that guy working the camera on the sidelines? That is my brother!"

The memorial service will be held privately by the family in North Dakota. We were all hoping he would attend the 2023 family reunion. Instead, we will all celebrate his life along with his mother.

Don't use the "Send Flowers" button. Instead, please add any pictures you have of Jay along with funny stories, comments, etc. (Remember, he loved John Waters!)

A special note on Port Townsend: we are sadly down one zeezaw, but the memories of those days are forever.