James Key Avera, Jr

With profound sadness but deep gratitude for a life well lived, we want to share that James Key Avera, Jr. passed away in Houston on Wednesday, September 11th at 8pm, surrounded by his family and fully at peace. In the words of his wife Fran, Jim was “the soul of generosity, loyalty, dependability, enthusiasm, good humor, and love.” 

At the age of 82, Jim was as active and energetic as ever until his hospitalization in late July due to complications from long-standing kidney and hematology issues. In spite of amazing medical care by doctors and nurses alike and an incredible effort and attitude on Jim’s part, the medical complexity of his situation and aggressiveness of his lymphoma proved to be too much to overcome.

Jim was born in San Angelo, Texas, in January 1942 to James Key Avera, Sr. and Virgilia “Gilly” Welch Avera and lived there along with his older sister, Gwen, until he moved to Austin to attend college at The University of Texas in 1960. His early years presaged many of his future experiences. His time in Boy Scouts definitely influenced his lifelong tendency to “Be Prepared.” He learned the value of strong personal connections from several treasured childhood friends. And Jim’s first job working for his father as a surveyor’s helper from the ages of 9 through 18 gave him a wealth of practical experience for his future career as a Civil Engineer, not to mention an appreciation for the value of drinking lots and lots of water – a lesson he gleaned during long days spent in the dry, west Texas heat and one made obvious to any waiter who had to refill his water glass at a restaurant in the years that followed.

His move to Austin proved to be fortuitous on many levels. Not only did he make lifelong, dear friends during his time there and graduate from UT with his Civil Engineering degree, he also met the love of his life, Frances Carr Avera (Fran). In December of his freshman year, one of his dorm mates asked him on a whim to come sing with the choir at University Baptist Church where Fran was the Minister of Music and choir director. Fran, ten years Jim’s senior, dismissed his initial attentions, assuming he was just another “frat rat,” albeit a very handsome one – but Jim came to choir rehearsals regularly, arriving early to help set up (foreshadowing!) and even took private voice lessons from Fran, slowly winning her over with his sincerity, persistence, and charm. In spite of a few people in their close circle who initially expressed concern about the age difference, Jim and Fran weathered the doubts and wed on June 7, 1963. Their marriage has been a model of love, humor, joy, and devotion in the decades since.

Not long after getting married, Jim and Fran made the move to Houston to start his job at Brown & Root, Inc. He spent the next three and a half decades there before retiring in 2000, with a career that covered a wide range of projects, including dams, bridges, pipelines, and highways. Many of his projects allowed him to travel and work internationally, in locations from Morocco to Libya to Turkey. Shortly after their arrival in Houston, Fran and Jim joined the then-fledgling church community of Covenant Baptist Church, now Covenant Church, where Fran became Minister of Music, creating an outstanding music program during her 50 years of service. Jim’s service to the church was less formal over those years, but was no less vital to that cherished community. (Of course, Jim continued singing under her direction, as did both of their children eventually.)

Jim’s next “career” as a family man – one he relished greatly and excelled at beyond words – took off with the birth of his son, Eric, born in December 1966. Daughter Kathleen followed in March 1970 and the Avera quartet was underway. Numerous family car trips in three successive VW buses purchased throughout the 70s and 80s always featured sing-alongs (the von Avera singers - a missed opportunity?), travel games, stops at historical markers and national parks, and frequent camping and/or hiking excursions. Jim continued to share these and other passions with his family over the decades, including, but not limited to:

– A love of kite-making, displayed at many Covenant kite contests with Eric and Kathleen in the 70s, and years later with his grandchildren, Emma and Ollie – The joys of to-do lists

– A glorious 5-week, 9-country Europe trip in 1979 with all four Averas where he drove stick-shift on the "wrong" side of the road, using “Europe on $15 A Day” as his guide (it’s possible he enjoyed the planning as much as the actual trip)

– An ambitious hike around the base of Mt. Rainier with Eric and Covenant members John and Jay Hooker in 2000, one of Jim’s most treasured vacation memories

– A work trip to London where he brought along his beloved mother-in-law, Ruth Carr, for her first international flight ever

– Performances in countless Covenant pieces directed by Fran over the decades, including the Christmas opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” with Averas in various roles, performed in both the early-70s and the mid-90s

– A deep interest in genealogy inherited from his mother – he would share his skills and tools freely, often conducting intensive research into the family histories of friends for fun

Although Jim’s extreme appreciation of punctuality didn’t quite translate to his offspring, Eric and Kathleen did enjoy getting to play spontaneous games of Crazy Eights or cribbage with the spare deck of cards Fran kept in her purse for very early arrivals at functions. Most of all, Jim’s family cherished sharing his humor, his love of language (from groan-worthy puns to the poetry of Wendell Berry), and a passion for learning new things. After “retiring” in 2000, Jim’s never-ending curiosity led him to pursue certification as a Home Inspector and, for several years, to fill in as a substitute and/or long-term sub teacher at Episcopal High School where Eric works, giving students there a second “Mr. A” to look up to. He never stopped working to better himself, from exercising and meditating daily to studying and discussing theology, his latest favorite puzzle, activism, terrible puns, and different world views with the people he knew and loved.

Jim is survived by his wife, Fran Avera, son Eric Avera and daughter-in-law Zeba Rizvi Avera, daughter Kathleen Avera Trail and son-in-law Tom Trail, granddaughters Emma and Ollie Trail, and many others that are considered “adopted” family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Key Avera, Sr. (1990) and Virgilia Welch Avera (1995), his sister Gwendolyn Avera Howell (2012) and his great-nephew Michael Key Malone (2012). 

A memorial service will be held at Covenant Church (4949 Caroline St., Houston, TX) on Saturday, November 2nd at 1pm, including an online component for those unable to travel. There will be a second service held at Brazos Towers (4141 S. Braeswood, Houston, TX) for the members of Fran and Jim’s residential community and any others who would like to attend on Tuesday, November 12 at 2:30pm.  Jim’s ashes will be interred during a private ceremony at the Moody Cemetery in Moody, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, we are asking for donations to be made to Covenant Church (covenanthouston.org/giving.html) or a charity of your choice, especially those supporting the environment or humanitarian efforts.