JC Creath

September 7, 1940 - October 7, 2019

Marion Jarvis “JC” Creath passed away October 7, 2019, 12:50am in his home, at the age of 79 years, one month. He was holding hands with his wife and constant caregiver, Andrea, as he spent his last breath, succumbing to the ravages of ALS, just two years after diagnosis. JC is preceded in death by his parents, Opal Joy Corbitt and James Frank Creath, his brothers James Clark and Frank Howard, his nephew Christopher Lee Creath; and his beloved “running budding” Rummy. JC is survived by his devoted wife of 16 years, Andrea Kathleen Lee of Houston, TX. They were married in Houston on February 15, 2003, and recently renewed their vows on their Sixteenth Anniversary at Creath Manor. JC is lovingly remembered by his son, Damon Michael Creath of Tomball, TX; his grandson Christian Damon August Creath of Houston; his daughter Jacquelyn Diane Creath (Ashley) of Houston; his sister Martha Ann Creath Curry (Virgil) of Kennard, TX; Mary Francis “Tessie” Creath Julian (Ralph) of Ashville, NC, nephews Greg Creath (Mary) of Whitehouse, TX; and Steve Curry (Michelle) of Troup, TX; nieces Aja Ann Julian of Asheville, NC; and Tiffany Creath Riddlesperger (Zach) of Whitehouse; and several great nieces and nephews as well as great-great nieces and nephews. JC was born in Amarillo, Texas on September 7, 1940. After WWII commenced, his father Frank joined the Army, and sent his young family to live in Center, TX with Opal’s mother. His family was established in the tiny town of Creath, some fifteen miles northeast of Crockett in eastern Houston County, which had been established around 1900 by MB Creath, who operated the community's general store and cotton gin. A post office opened there in 1904, with Creath as postmaster. JC grew up surrounded by his siblings and extended family and was known in the family as “Little Bit” as a young a child. (As he grew a “bit” older, he was known simply as “Bit;” his nieces and nephews called him “Uncle Bit.”) His family was active in agriculture, and JC worked alongside his dad in the farming, cattle and commercial chicken business. He was a good student, active in his school sports (basketball) and photography of local events. After graduating from Glover High School in 1958, he attended one year of higher education at Stephen F Austin State University before joining the US Army in 1961. While in boot camp, he earned medals for Good Conduct and Sharpshooting. After attending Specialty Photography School in Ft Monmouth, NJ, JC was assigned to the Signal Corps, putting his camera experience and talent to good use for his country. He was ultimately stationed in Orleans, France, and spent his duty time taking photos of roads, bridges, alleyways, and the beautiful countryside of France, Spain and Germany, which still showed the ravages and destruction of WWII. (He imagined his best work is now stamped “CONFIDENTIAL” and stored in large crates housed in massive warehouses, like the one shown at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.) He also covered awards ceremonies, military parades, and international festivals, and was often published in Stars and Stripes. After returning to Texas in 1964, he married Cheryl Ann Bullard and later became the father of two beautiful children, whom he loved dearly and spent many hours with them doing “daddy” things. He coached their softball and baseball teams with the finesse of a professional. He claimed to have coined the phrase “There’s no crying in baseball” long before a movie contained it. JC also dabbled in local theater groups, bringing his commanding presence and powerful voice to the stage in several productions. Although he worked in commercial printing for several decades after leaving the Army, JC continued to develop his skills as a semi-professional photographer, shooting thousands of “friends and family” photos, and soon started working with and for friends for their photography needs. He began focusing on weddings and launched Picture This Photography in the mid 1990s. JC became a follower of Christ in his late 50s, was baptized and joined Spring Branch Christian Church. He was soon a faithful worker in the Church, joining the choir, and teaching in VBS as Bible characters Noah, Moses, Peter, and Jonah over the next few years. With a renewed understanding of the need for children to know about The Gospel of Jesus Christ, JC joined Gideons International, serving 16 years in the NW Houston Camp, 3 of them as Camp Chaplin. He was a qualified Church Speaker, helping to raise thousands of dollars for Bibles all around the world, and making local distributions to schools, hotels, nursing homes, first responders, and medical personnel. For several years, JC was part of a team of volunteers reading the Holy Bible aloud, cover to cover, in downtown Houston's Quebedeaux Park in the courthouse district, on the four days leading up to Thanksgiving Day. JC met Andrea Lee in 1999 and they were married in 2003, living in the Spring Branch area and growing Picture This Photography. JC and Andrea enjoyed working with a diverse clientele, especially the “grown-up couples,” shooting engagement and bridal portraits, and covering hundreds of wedding ceremonies and receptions. JC and Andrea were a great team, often forming close and long-lasting friendships with their clients. (Secretly, his favorite jobs were working with clients to take pet portraits, many years with Santa Claus, and several years as Santa Claus.) They joined Tallowood Baptist Church in 2008, becoming active members of the Praisers Department. While Andrea sang in the choir, JC served monthly as a Parking Lot Greeter for many years, and often served as an usher as well. He was also active in Men’s Life, The Hudson Mann Prayer Breakfast, and The Gathering Place, and served with Andrea to take family photos for the TBC directories. JC and Andrea enjoyed traveling and photography, and toured Europe (especially France) several times. When JC was diagnosed with ALS in October 2017, and while JC was still able to travel, they made their third and final trip to their favorite destinations, enjoying Paris and the Normandy D-Day Invasion Coast. JC’s great interest in WWII military history pulled them to Omaha Beach; and, well, Paris is always a good idea, isn’t it? They returned to Spring Branch in 2018, occupying a new home which would accommodate JC’s wheelchair; Andrea left her job to care for JC full-time, until his last breath, just as she promised. JC was no man of mystery, so we know 3 things: 1. JC loved Jesus. 2. JC loved Andrea. 3. JC loved the Houston Astros. He spent his final season rooting for the Astros covered in a (seemingly) magical Astros Blanket. Over the past season, he even gained a bit of a social media following from fellow Astros fans. When JC wore the #AstrosBlanketForTheW, the Astros were likely to win! He tried so hard to make it all the way to the World Series, but he was so weary. Everything was becoming just exhausting. His body failed him in many ways, and finally, he could no longer breathe. He couldn’t eat a Moonpie, and he couldn’t drink a cream soda. Despite assistance with ventilators and a feeding tube, the beast that is ALS chased him down and ended his season a few games too early. JC died peacefully as he slept, ready to meet Jesus face to face. During his final weeks, he spoke with God often, longing for Heaven, asking to see his long-passed relatives, asking Him to bring him Home. So God did, just as he promised. Two things were important to JC Creath. In his memory, please donate to: • The ALS Association – Texas will be hosting the annual Greater Houston Chapter fundraiser, “Walk to Cure ALS” on Oct 26. JC was the mascot of our Walk Team, “JC’s Hunny Bunnies.” In lieu of flowers, JC requests donations be made toward our goal of ending ALS. Join our team , or donate at: http://web.alsa.org/goto/JCs_Hunny_Bunnies, or look for postcards in the Reception Hall. • Gideons International - JC believed the best thing you can do for another person is to put the Word of God in their hand and in their heart. You can support the work of Gideons International by donating funds for Bibles in JC’s memory. Go to www.gideons.org/donate/, or look for cards in the Reception Hall. Both are important. Please don’t buy flowers or plants; they ultimately die. Your donations to ALS and Gideons will live on as a memorial and legacy to JC Creath. A Memorial Service celebrating JC’s life will be held Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 2:00 PM in the Worship Center at Tallowood Baptist Church. 555 Tallowood Rd., Houston, TX 77024. A reception will follow the service on the church campus.