Jay Dietrich

Jackie Jerald “Jay” Dietrich, Jr. passed from this life to the next on Saturday, March 7, 2026. Jay was born on January 23, 1955 to Jack and Carol Dietrich.

Jay was a loyal native of Aransas County, and a proud graduate of Fulton Elementary and Rockport-Fulton Junior High and High School (1973). He studied radio broadcasting briefly before turning to the marine and oilfield industries, where he spent the remainder of his career.

Jay was preceded in death by his mother, Carol Dietrich; his father, Jackie Dietrich, Sr.; his stepmother, Ruth Dietrich; his sisters, Tamara Dietrich and Debra Heasley; and his brothers, Glenn Dietrich and Lee Haskin II.

He is survived by his wife, Sarilyn; his daughter, Stephanie (Corey); and his grandchildren, Ellie and Milo. He is also survived by his sisters, Lenora Pendleton (Jim), Rhonda Goins (Jerry), and Carol Harrison (Randy); brother-in-law Ron Heasley; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Jay loved life and time with friends and loved ones. He loved to hunt, fish, ski, and occasionally party. He enjoyed many rock concerts, though ZZ Top was probably his favorite live experience. When you encountered Jay out and about, he was invariably dressed and groomed sharply, and embodied the post-James Dean version of cool.

Jay married his wife, Sarilyn on December 22, 2005. The two shared a deep love for the outdoors and created many cherished memories together while hunting at places such as Guadalupe River State Park and Raton, New Mexico. On the weekends, they enjoyed fishing, duck hunting, and water skiing. Summer vacations were spent camping at the Frio River with family and friends.

Like the rest of us, Jay had adventures along the way, but his adventures always seemed to be special, as a few seemingly unrelated examples will illustrate. He had a healthy skepticism for the IRS, which once led to a lengthy dispute resolution process. When he was young and single, he had a knack for finding just the right word to attract the attention of a pretty tourist girl, leading friends to seek him out for advice in this arena. Jay once wrapped a Pontiac Grand Am around a Fulton Beach Road cabin and lived to tell the tale, but didn’t exactly walk away. Friends invited him to come enjoy other parts of the country, but Jay wouldn’t fly for anything; it seems a bad-weather oilfield helicopter ride in the Gulf left our friend with a serious disregard for being airborne. Jay was intensely loyal to his loved ones, but relished the chance to deflate an oversized ego wherever the opportunity arose.

Above all else, Jay brought joy to everyone in his orbit. Ever quick with a kind word, a catchy line, or a funny story (and some may have been true), Jay made it his mission in life to make the rest of us smile, giggle, and feel a little more special. Mission accomplished, my friend - mission accomplished, indeed.