Bobby J. Trimble

Bobby J. Trimble stepped into heaven at 5:18 p.m. on June 28, 2025. He joined his beautiful wife, Shirley, exactly two months after her passing. They were married 75 years. He could not wait a minute longer to join her. A visitation will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 11, 2025, at Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Alamo Heights Baptist Church.

Bobby was born in Knox County, Texas on April 6, 1930. He was one of 17 children, born during the depression when times were hard. At the tender age of six, he had to work in the fields to help put food on the table. Born between two sets of twins, he many times lamented that he got very little attention as a child. This way of life instilled in him a life-long strong work ethic and a heart for those who had very little.

The family moved to Southland, Texas in the 40’s where he participated in football, drove the school bus to make extra money, and after graduation, joined the army.  It was in Southland where he met his wife, Shirley, and the adventures began. They married a year later and lived in Tacoma, Washington for Bobby’s last year of army service. They lived in a one room apartment with a shared bathroom and refrigerator at the end of the hall. Bobby would take his watch to the pawn shop at the end of each month when they ran low on money and then buy it back on payday. When they left Tacoma to return to Texas, they left the watch behind. Bobby and Shirley made a home in Midland where they raised their daughters and worked and served in their community. Bobby worked most of his career as a contract oil & gas scout beginning with Honolulu Oil and retired in 1995 with EOG Resources.

Bobby accepted Jesus as his Savior as a young boy and believed very strongly in serving Him in all walks of life. He and Shirley joined Alamo Heights Baptist Church in 1960 and were faithful members until his health declined. While at Alamo he served as a deacon, a Sunday School teacher, and on many pulpit and building committees. It was during his tenure as a young men’s Sunday School teacher in 1972 that the seed was planted for the creation of the ministry Christmas in April. Teaching from James 2:14-17, he sought to instill the meaning of not just the words of Jesus but the importance of being His hands as well. The men in Bobby’s class began helping with small home repairs for widows and single women in the church.

This ministry grew into a city-wide event with thousands of volunteers giving of their time and talents to help repair the homes of the elderly and disabled in the Midland community. The program began receiving national recognition when a young writer from Reader’s Digest was commissioned to come to Texas and investigate the ministry. This article launched Christmas in April into the national spotlight. A national headquarters was established in Washington D.C. and Christmas in April rapidly grew to over 250 affiliates throughout the United States.

Bobby received many awards over the years for his work with Christmas in April. The two biggest highlights in his life were receiving President Reagan’s Volunteer Action Award in 1982 and then in 1988, being invited back to the White House to present Ronald Reagan with the first strike of the Ronald Reagan Award for Volunteer Excellence. What an honor for a man whose hands began picking cotton at the age of six, to placing a medal around the President’s neck. Bobby continued his work with Christmas in April, now called Christmas in Action, as president until his health forced him to retire at the age of 88. He led the ministry for over 45 years.

In a world often focused on grand gestures, the enduring legacy of Bobby Trimble stands as a powerful testament of the impact of simple, heartfelt action. His foresight and unwavering commitment to serving his neighbors created far more than just a home repair program. He cultivated a culture of active compassion, demonstrating that faith translated into tangible deeds can build stronger communities and restore dignity to those who need it most. His legacy is etched not only in the thousands of homes repaired, but in the countless lives touched by the simple, yet profound, act of giving. There is no way to know how many roofs he helped replace so an elderly woman could live in a safe and dry house, how many new windows he installed to keep a disabled veteran living in more comfortable conditions, or the number of wheelchair ramps he built for those who needed a way to enter and exit their homes. But, as he said many times, “What would those people have done if Christmas in Action were not here.” Bobby proved that even the smallest seed of an idea, when nurtured with purpose and community spirit, can blossom into a powerful force for good, truly making every day feel like Christmas for those in need.

Bobby stepped into the arms of his Savior after 95 years of a well-lived life of giving and serving.  As we all want to hear when we meet the Lord, I know he heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Bobby is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley, his mother and father, Elmer and Cora Trimble, 14 of his siblings, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Dee Elton and Helen Hambright and his nephew, Dee Randall Hambright.

Bobby is survived by his daughter Tracye and husband Mike Vaughan, daughter Sherry and husband Steve Sigler; grandchildren Bobbie and husband Robert Grimes, Brady and wife Megan Vaughan, Ashley and husband Cory Teel, and Virginia Sigler; great-grandchildren Bailey Grimes, Coy Hayes and Walker Vaughan, and Colby, Hunter, and Destiny Teel. He is also survived by his siblings, Joy Lester and J. H. Trimble, nieces and nephews, cousins, and a multitude of friends.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the wonderful ladies who have taken such special care of Bobby for the past nineteen months: Erika Hernandez, Ashley Munguia, Marcela Athayde, Miriam Ramos, Virginia Lozano, Iris Lara, and Delma Lozano. They would also like to thank Hospice of Midland for helping him transition from this life to the next.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Christmas in Action, P.O. Box 3744, Midland, Texas 79702, or The Bobby J. & Shirley Trimble Christmas in Action Founders Fund through the Permian Basin Area Foundation, 3312 Andrews Hwy., Midland, Texas 79703.

Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory in Midland. Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com

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