Brian Steven Ball

“Mommy, we’re in life together.” Brian Ball, Age 3

Brian Steven (BB) Ball was born in Dallas, Texas, on September 4, 1979, the eldest son of Linda and Steve Ball. He passed away on May 2, 2026.

A visitation will take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Commerce. A funeral service will immediately follow beginning at 2:00 p.m. Interment will be at Brigham Cemetery, Campbell, Texas.

Brian's earliest years were in Garland, Texas, where he waxed strong through his parents, grandparents, and a host of loving cousins, aunts, and uncles. Family matters!  

In 1984, the family moved to Commerce, Texas, where he completed his schooling through college, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural sciences from East Texas A&M University. He loved baseball and the outdoors, finding vocational joy in both, working as an umpire in boys’ baseball in Texas and Oklahoma, where he made lasting friendships. For many years, he was the commentary voice of Commerce Tigers football. Work as an agronomist brought him similar joys in places as diverse as the cane fields of Louisiana and the forests and fields of east Texas. 

BB was a mentor to all. His smile was (almost) always there for us and he gave of his talents freely to those who needed them. He was particularly good to children, both to his nephews and to any child he saw in need. But even his parents felt the warmth of his heart when he dropped in unexpectedly or came to help. When his mother was in crisis, he reminded us, “I’m down for the ride with my Mom.” He loved to laugh and to ramble on about the things that mattered to him, and he never ceased to learn, in matters diverse as Egyptology, western history, and contemporary politics. The short version is that Brian loved life, he loved people, and he took joy helping others become their best selves. 

Brian is survived by his parents, Linda and Steve Ball of Campbell; his daughter, Saige; his brothers, Blake Ball and wife Eva of Austin, and Chris Ball and wife Karla of Leander; his partner, Katie Ballenger of Mount Vernon; his half-brothers, Lance Ball and wife Kathryn of Asheville, North Carolina, and Jason Ball and Henry Ball of McKinney; and nephews, Alexander, William, and Lucas Ball of Leander, Andrew Ball of McKinney, Renny Ball of Richmond, Virginia, and Charlie Ball of Asheville.

Serving as pallbearers for BB are Andrew Ball, Blake Ball, Christopher Ball, Alexander Ball, Joshua Edwards, Kevin Jeffries, and Jason Liston.  Honorary pallbearers are William Ball, Lucas Ball, and Matthew Edwards.