Obituary of James Tony Goolsby

James Tony Goolsby died on September 4, 2020 in Dallas, TX surrounded by his family after a courageous battle against cancer. Born on November 9, 1933, in Colbert, Oklahoma, Tony was raised by Thelma and Herman Ross in Longview, Texas where he graduated from Longview Highschool in 1951. Tony served in the United States Army where he was stationed in Panama, after which he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of North Texas in 1961 where he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity. Tony eventually settled in the Dallas metro area where he lived for the rest of his life. Tony met Toppy Tannery at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church where Tony was an usher and Toppy was always late to church. Even though Toppy wasn’t exactly sure which usher Tony was when he called her, they went on a first date to Pietros on February 18, 1971. They were married on September 18, 1971 and together they raised three daughters and 5 female dogs. For 48 years, Tony and Toppy built a beautiful life together weathering the hard times and celebrating the good times with family and friends. Tony loved being a father to daughters and could be found surprising them at lunch in elementary school, videotaping dance performances and running to the drug store at 2 am when they weren’t feeling well. A man of many talents, Tony’s career was wide and varied. After working as a teacher, coach and principal in Celeste, TX, he worked as a pharmaceutical rep, before he opened an Independent Insurance Agency in the 1980s. He successfully ran his small business for over 20 years, being able to personally point out which homes he insured while driving around Dallas. In 1988, Tony was elected to the Texas House of Representatives representing North Dallas and Richardson, where he served for 20 years. Tony was a Republican who worked with all legislators to do what was right for Texas. As a legislator, Tony’s priorities were education, protecting victims, and supporting small businesses. He worked to protect victims of sexual assault, strengthen the reach of Amber Alerts, increase accessibility to higher education, protect consumers from unwanted solicitations, cut taxes for small business, and establish identity theft as a state crime. Tony was a leader in the Texas House of Representatives where he served as Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Higher Education and as member of various committees including; the House Committees on Licensing and Administrative Procedures, Judiciary, Pensions and Investments, Land and Resource Management, Elections and Liquor Regulation. Tony loved helping Texans and being in the legislature and he continued to work in Austin as a lobbyist from 2008 up until the time of his death. Tony was a member of too many organizations to name and held many leadership positions throughout the years. Notably, he was President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas, a member of the Board of Directors at Pavillion Bank for 23 years, and the Head of Political Actions for Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. Although he never officially “retired,” Tony and Toppy spent the last decade traveling with family and friends including driving through the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, spending Thanksgivings in Hawaii and Costa Rica, taking riverboat cruises in Europe and visiting their granddaughters in California. Tony’s faith as a Christian was central to his life. A member of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church for over 50 years, Tony was generous with his time and resources. In 2001, he and Toppy dedicated the Goolsby Chapel at University of North Texas as a place for people of all faiths to gather for quiet reflection, prayer, meditation, religious services, weddings, or memorials. They also created the Toppy and Tony Goolsby Family Trust Rangerette Scholarship at Kilgore College to assist Rangerettes with their financial needs. For the past 10 years, Tony and Toppy served breakfast at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in Dallas where Tony particularly liked working at the sausage station. Tony’s favorite hobby was his friendships. He has kept up with and continued to love high school friends, army friends, friends from college, the apartments he lived in when he was single, insurance industry associates, church friends, people he served with and worked with in the legislature, and neighborhood friends. He loved talking to his friends, picking up the phone in restaurants to the chagrin of his family. His quick wit and sense of humor always got a laugh, but there was never a more loyal friend than Tony. It didn’t matter if you were on top of the world or down on your luck, you knew you could count on Tony to be there. He made a lasting impact on everyone he called a friend. Over the course of his career, he received the American Cancer Society's Texas Advocacy Award (for outstanding legislative leadership in the fight against cancer), the Mirabeau Lamar Award (Texas Freemasons), North Texas State University Outstanding Greek Alumni, Dallas Police Association Award, Longview High School Distinguished Alumni, Kilgore College Ex Student of the Year, Fighter & Champion for Free Enterprise Awards from the Texas Association of Business, Legislator of the Year Award from the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, Legislative Hall of Fame Award from the Texas Association of Realtors, Pillar of Hope Award from the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, Legislator of the Year Award from Retailers for Theft Prevention, Legislative Initiative for Nurturing Children Award from Children's Medical Center, Leadership for Kids Award from the Coalition for North Texas Children, Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Chamber of Commerce, Outstanding Conservative Legislator Award by the National Center for Policy Analysis, Dallas City Council Certificate of Commendation, Texas Realtors Association Award, Fighter for Free Enterprise by the Texas Association of Business and Chambers of Commerce, Texas Pediatric Society Child Advocacy Award, and the Texas Loss Prevention Legislator of the Year from Wal-Mart. Tony is survived by his wife, Toppy Goolsby of Dallas, TX, his children, Mellie Mathis and her husband Chris Duncan of Dallas, TX, Cherrie Wysong and her husband Jay of Dallas, TX, Brooke Welch and her husband Sean of Oakland, CA, his grandchildren, Delaney and Riley Welch of Oakland, CA, his sister Marsha Ross of Longview, TX and numerous nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brother Eddie Goolsby (April 28, 2014). Tony is also survived by his beloved dog, Prissy, who was faithfully by his side until the end. Due to the COVID pandemic, the family will have a private burial at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, TX. A livestream of the service will be available. A celebration of life in Dallas will be planned when all who loved Tony can safely gather. The Goolsby family would like to give a special thank you to Tony's wonderful caregivers from Baylor Scott and White Plano (Dr. Philip Kovoor, Dr. J.D. Bondy, Dr. Shrawan Gaitonde, Dr. Rassa Shahidzadeh, and Dr David Kim:, Faith Prebysterian Hospice (Stellah & Keisha), Visiting Angels (Shelli), Acapella (Blessing, Idongesit, Darlene, Anne, Tereza, Eunice, Ann, Dianna, Laurie). Tony was blessed to have these dedicated health professionals care for him this past year. Their compassionate and loving care made a difficult situation a little bit more bearable. In lieu of flowers, Tony’s family asks that donations be made to one of the organizations listed on the obituary that have special meaning to the Goolsby family. Tony’s legacy is his devotion to family, friends and faith and his service to the State of Texas. Tony’s life and impact will not be forgotten if we follow Tony’s words: “Always remember to keep your head screwed on straight.”