Jimmy Doyle Ballard

Jimmy Doyle Ballard, 63, of Waco, passed away on July 27, 2021, surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Visitation will be held at Oakcrest Funeral Home, 4520 Bosque Blvd, Waco TX 76710 on Saturday, July 31st at 9am, followed by a funeral service from 10-11am. Graveside service will be at Rosemound Cemetery, 3201 South 12th St, Waco, TX 76706, directly following the funeral.

Jimmy Doyle Ballard was born the ninth of twelve children on May 2, 1958 in Waco, TX. He met the love of his life, Doris Baty, in 1976, and they soon decided to get married and start a family. Jimmy and Doris enjoyed 45 loving years together, moving around wherever the wind blew, raising their five children, helping take care of their elderly parents, and making memories with grandchildren.

Jimmy was a jack-of-all-trades – from being a dairy farm worker, a cashier, a mechanic, correctional officer, or a recycling expert – he put his all into everything he did. Any venture he was part of was meant to provide for his wife and children, and he would give his last dollar to make sure they were always taken care of. But he was also known to fall into the occasional get-rich-quick scheme and sometimes used his work travels as an excuse to find a casino or a good fishing spot at the coast. That’s what made him so endearing. You could always catch him singing or dancing or telling jokes, making himself the life of the party. We know his first heavenly breakfast consisted of hoe cakes and fried eggs, along with an ice cold Dr. Pepper, and his first heavenly bedtime was telling his grandkids stories about “Shaky Bones” who lived in the attic. He’s probably already got a poker game going up there with his brothers, planning a casino trip with Doris, Gary, and Darlene, and convincing the kids to go fishing.

Jimmy was preceded in death by his parents, Gene and Bea; brothers, Russell and Benny; sisters, Gail, Becky, and Linda; in-laws, James, Donna, Harold, George, and Joyce Baty.

He is survived by his wife, Doris; children, Michael, Justin, Rachel, Emily and Printice, Jillian and Jared; grandchildren Korbin, Mari, Bryant, Brayden, Ciara, Isaiah, Andrew, Adelynn, Jacob, and Ava; siblings, Pat and Bucky, Jeff and Sue, Timmy and Yvette, Bruce and Lisa, Mark, Jodie, Linda and Nancy; in-laws, Darlene and Gary, Fay and Robert, David and Carol, Junior and Millie, and Jackie; along with numerous nieces and nephews who he loved very much.

Special thanks to Providence hospice care, along with Dr. Chak and the team of nurses at Texas Oncology. We wouldn't have had as much time with him if it weren't for their efforts, and the nurses will miss him greatly. We all will.