Jesse Jay "Jay" Eyre

Jesse Jay Eyre, 75, passed away of natural causes on March 6, 2026, in Billings, Montana. He was born on September 14, 1950, in Evanston, Wyoming, to Jesse Guyman Eyre and Maxine Eyre (Bracken).

Jay lived a simple life surrounded by the beauty of the American West, pursuing his interests, sharing his talents, and uplifting all who were lucky enough to call him dad, gramps, or friend. Jay grew up on a farm in southwest Wyoming, graduating from Lyman High School in 1968. Jay received a Bachelors of Science from Utah State University in 1973 with a major in outdoor recreation, and a Bachelors of Art from the University of Wyoming in art education in 1978. Jay taught and instilled a love for creative expression in countless students as he worked as an art teacher in Wyoming for more than three decades. In addition to teaching, Jay spent 33 summers as a seasonal Wilderness Ranger in the high Uintas and Cloud Peak Wilderness Areas of Utah and Wyoming.

Jay felt the most at home in the great outdoors surrounded by nature. He loved hiking, backpacking, distance running, and exploring wild places. Jay loved the solace, connection to nature, and sense of community as he competed in hundreds of road races, 26 marathons, and 9 ultra marathons throughout his life. These included multiple completions of the St. George, Black Hills, and Boston Marathons, expanding to the Big Horn and Wasatch 100 mile race. In 1998 he fulfilled a dream by completing the grueling 150 mile multi stage Marathon De Sables in Morocco. He both spoke and lived the T.S Elliot belief that "You will never know how far you can go, if you never risk going too far."

While already an avid hiker, upon retiring in 2014 Jay did his first long distance thru hike on the Appalachian Trail. "Long hikes change your body, clarify your mind and engage your spirit in unexpected ways," he would say. In addition to completing the Appalachian Trail (2,190 miles), Jay made lifelong memories and friends as he completed the Pacific Crest Trail (2,663 miles), portions of the Continental Divide Trail (2,000 miles), Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior (310 miles), the Centennial Trail in the Black Hills (111 miles), the Ouachita Trail in Arkansas (223 miles), and countless others from Death Valley to the Wind River Mountains and everywhere in between.

Jay was an extremely gifted artist and creative spirit who found beauty in making things with his hands, trying new mediums, and sharing his talents with others. He was a lifelong artist whose talents spanned oil painting, watercolor, sketches, stained glass, pottery, clay sculptures, quilting, woodworking, welding, gardening, gourmet cooking, cake decorating, paper making, screen printing, and the trumpet. He established a Free Little Art Gallery where people could take or leave art for others to enjoy. He was known for his thoughtful and creative gifts, always meticulously wrapped and presented with love. In later years he enjoyed the simple life, continuing to pursue creative work, teaching painting classes, refurbishing furniture and working at The Base Camp where he wrapped gifts and worked as a janitor.

Jay was a devoted father and grandfather who instilled the love for the outdoors in all that knew him. He loved supporting and cheering on his grandchildren in all their sports, performances, and activities. He treasured memories made on the annual backpacking tips in the Beartooth Mountains, cheering on his Utah State Aggies, meeting in October to run the St. George Marathon, and visiting grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse Guyman Eyre and Maxine Bracken Eyre; his brother Robert "Bobby" Guyman Eyre (Kay); his sister Medora "Dora" Nelson (Loren); and his son, Jeffrey Byron Eyre.

He is survived by his brother Danny Eyre (Ann); his children Jaylynn Goss (Erick), Emily Bruyere (Travis), Raegin DuVall (Darrick), Marc Eyre (Chelsea), and Will Eyre (Catrina); and his beloved grandchildren: Tyler, Abbie, Emma, Spencer, Raelynn (Brennan), Carson, Marissa, Adylynn, Alyiah, Ayden, Bianca, Damian, Grady, Sylis, Chandler, Mercedes, Corban, Sara, and Rose. He is also survived by his dog and faithful trail companion, Roscoe.

Jay will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, artistic talent, kindness, and love for the natural world. His life was a testament to living simply, exploring widely, and finding joy in nature, creativity, and family.

In lieu of flowers, Jay's last request is "grab your running shoes, lace up your hiking boots, or jump on your bike, but this time bring along a trash bag. That's right whatever activity you do, it's time for a clean up. Pick your favorite path, trail, park, lake, beach, or natural area and spend a few minutes this week picking up trash. Make the world a better place. Make it as simple and as easy on yourself as you can, but sometime this week take a minute to clean up your corner of this incredible place we call Earth. My hope is that we can all work together to make this world a little better place to live."

A memorial open house for Jay will be held at The Base Camp (1730 Grand Ave, Billings MT) on Saturday March 14th 4-6pm.