Jay Cowan Tapp

Jay Cowan Tapp – successful businessman, proud father, and advocate for the Blanco River – passed away peacefully in Corpus Christi, Texas on September 8, 2020. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 17, 1935 and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Jay’s life was forever changed by a high school teacher who challenged him to meet his potential. After graduating from Rice University with a degree in engineering, Jay attended Harvard Business School. Following that, Jay returned to Houston where he and his wife Jacquelyn raised their three sons. Over the course of his career, Jay served as president of Kirby Business Systems; joined the Young President’s Organization; chaired the board of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas; traveled extensively around the world; and held many other positions in business and real estate, both in Houston and Austin. One of the proudest accomplishments of Jay’s life took place in the 1970s when he successfully fought the proposed Clopton Crossing Reservoir, which would have inundated the Blanco River Valley, including his beloved ranch on the Blanco River in Wimberley that he stewarded for decades. Asked about the experience, Jay (whose sense of humor was always wry) commented, “relenting has never been my strong suit.” After ten years in Austin, Jay moved to his ranch full-time with his second wife Leslie McGrath where they delighted in riding horses, swimming in the river, raising their daughter, and sharing their beautiful home with their many friends. A great outdoorsman, Jay spent many happy summers hiking in Colorado and participating in the Colorado Chautauqua community. In his later years, Jay retired in Houston where he served as the president of the West McGregor Homeowners Association, assisting with an effort to restore a historic Texas cemetery, and as a board member for the Ensemble Theatre. Jay will be deeply missed and remembered for his generosity, acts of service, intelligence, curiosity, and ability to enjoy the best that life had to offer. He is predeceased by his first wife Jacquelyn Tapp and his beloved sister Lindl Tapp Graves. He is survived by his sons Felix Cowan Tapp II (Frances), Jay Bartell Tapp (Carolyn), Filson Bates Drane Tapp (Meg), daughter Anne Mariah McGrath Tapp, granddaughter Addison Bartell Tapp, and former spouses Leslie McGrath, Grayson Cecil and Marcia Chaney. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity. There will be a private ceremony for family members only.