Greg Urban Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Gregory Alan Urban passed away peacefully at his home in Houston, Texas on the evening of October 17th, 2014 at the age of 36. A native Houstonian, he was born on May 24th, 1978. Greg was preceded in death by his father, Samuel J. Urban. He is survived by his wife, Staci Rea Urban; his daughter, Sadie Urban; his mother, Elizabeth Urban; his aunts Barbara Hoke and Lucretia Parks; his brother, Andrew Urban; his sister-in-law, Tracey Dugas Urban; his nephew, Michael Urban; his niece, Kristen Urban; his father- and mother-in-law, Bob and Ro Rea; his sister- and brother-in-law, Rachel Rea and Andrew Rubin; and his nephew, Dylan Rubin. Greg's life was one of a boy's adventure and of a man's devotion to his friends and family. His early years were spent riding dirt bikes and playing football in Houston, gazing at campfires in Sommerville, and relaxing at the beach house in Galveston. His young life was dedicated to service through his involvement in the Boy Scouts of America. One of his proudest accomplishments was his title of Eagle Scout. Of course, anyone that knew Greg could immediately see the integrity and ethics he built as a young man, but that didn't prevent his rebellious curiosity from adding to his kinetic and infectious spirit and energy. He graduated from Jersey Village High School in 1996 and earned a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences from the University of Houston-Downtown in 2001. Greg met the love of his life Staci Rea during high school and on October 12, 2003 they were married. In 2004, Greg began working at Vacations To Go, where he would work for the remainder of his life. He quickly became a vital part of the company, first as a travel agent, then as a Team Manager. He formed many meaningful friendships during his time there and was a true mentor and leader to his co-workers. Greg was the consummate collector and his collection largely represented the toys, books, and movies from the culture of his youth. Dusty, forgotten electronic consoles and obsolete technology were his forte. His interests lay in so many different areas of life. His collection started in his parent's house and continued to his computer room and then ultimately his garage. To know Greg was to partake in his garage which was his command headquarters, his war room, his gallery. Greg was a lover of life. He loved to engage in conversation - deep conversation. Greg could dive into the most intricate ideas of any topic. He loved to argue. He loved knowledge. He loved sports, Houston teams in particular, as well as fantasy football. Greg was the nucleus that held his family and friends all together, whether at home or work. He held something intangible that pulled you to him. It was magnetic and it was magical. In February of 2011, Greg and Staci welcomed their beautiful daughter, Sadie Jade. Greg had the priceless opportunity to get to know this wonderful little person, upon which he has left an immeasurable mark. Every person who met Greg was touched by his warm personality and generous nature. His joy for life was contagious and it was hard to not find laughter around him. The void left by Greg is so deep and jagged that perhaps it is not meant to heal; perhaps we just have to do our best to continue in spite of our loss. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him, but he will never be forgotten. A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, October 23, 2014 at Jersey Village Baptist Church, 16518 Jersey Dr, Jersey Village, TX 77040. Services will begin at 11:00am. Donations to the Sadie Jade Trust Fund can be made to: www.gofundme.com/gregurban