John Frederick "Trey" Nolte III

John Frederick "Trey" Nolte III, 55, of Sour Lake, died Thursday, January 16, 2025.
Trey was born in Beaumont on March 4, 1969, and graduated from Hardin-Jefferson High School, class of '88. Trey has always been known for his practical jokes, quirky humor, and the lengths he went through to make people laugh. All jokes aside, Trey tried his best, made us proud and did a lot of things that may surprise you.
Trey played on the high school State golf team and was notorious for a multitude of shenanigans during his high school days and beyond. Some of Trey's best times were made on the Pinewood golf course, wading into the water holes at night to hunt balls or goosing golfing buddies during pivotal putts or drives.
After high school, Trey joined the Army and PFC Nolte was stationed near Schwäbisch Gmünd Germany where he was dismantling Pershing II missiles. This US Army program was the first step in easing tensions in the Cold War. On November 9, 1989, Trey was present during the fall of the Berlin Wall and took a piece of the wall back home to Texas.
For years, Trey worked in the oil & gas industry as a Leak Protection Tech at Team Industrial, TSI Flow and SealTech. His job was critical in keeping the plants running and dangerous because he was on call to fix leaks on active pipelines.
Over the years, Trey worked on Nolte Farms pulling red rice weeds in the summers. Although he didn't appreciate working in the heat in the rice fields, he bought 8 acres of Nolte Farm land, where he built a house and shop. He was proud of his patch of land where he kept a well-manicured lawn that would rival any golf course fairway.
Later in life, Trey considered himself quite the handyman. He often worked on projects that no one knew they needed. For example, he leveled crawdad holes by pulling a metal gate tied to a hunk of scrap wood behind the lawnmower. This was just one Trey's many creative visions that solved problems that we didn't know we had.
Throughout his life, Trey loved animals and gave his dogs great names like Willie and Waylon and called his bulldog brothers Sexy and Biscuit. He claimed to hate cats, but he diligently took care of his cat buddy Mucca showing her compassion, companionship and kindness for 16 years.
Trey, our brother, son, funcle, nephew, crazy cousin, Pops, friend and entertainer, was one-of-a-kind. It hurts to know Trey's big loud laugh has been quieted. Please tell us your best Trey stories so his crazy tomfoolery will continue to live on.
Trey's family includes his parents, Marlene and John Nolte of Sour Lake; sister, Tammie Nolte and her husband John Leijendekkers of the Netherlands; brother, Joel Nolte and his wife Debra of Beaumont; brother, Trent Coker of Spring, sister, Tonya Coker Hebert of Newton; daughter, Sunni Farren and her husband Josh Farren and their kids, Audrick and Mathis of Austin; and he was the funcle to Trevor Nolte, Adam Donders, Kristi Sparkman, Avery Nolte, and Emmy Nolte. Trey will also be greatly missed by his close friend, Michelle Sullivan.
A gathering of Trey's family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m. with his memorial service to follow at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at Broussard's, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. Trey's cousins will serve as honorary pallbearers. They include Mike Moorhead, Kristen Benavides, Jill Abernathy, Jane Richard, Kori French, Kiley Sawyer, Matthew Davis, Michael Keck, and Stephanie Stewart.
Memorial contributions can be made to Caring Christians Sharing Mission in Sour Lake. CCS provides temporary assistance to people in Hardin County who need emergency food, clothing or limited financial assistance on utilities, rent or prescriptions.