Emmitt was predeceased in death by his mother, Shirley A. Courtney, his younger brother Derek Lennear, and his cherished daughter Taylor Kristina Courtney.
Emmitt is lovingly remembered by his children, Emmitt E. (Nikki) Courtney II of Dallas-Fort Worth, TX; Alexander E. Courtney and Tyler Courtney of Waco, TX; his siblings Sheila Courtney, Edwin Courtney, Roderick Courtney, Traci Williams, and Ursula Nash of Waco, TX; and Lisa (Sam) Long of McKinney, TX; 6 grandchildren, 2 great grandsons and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and associates.
Emmitt was born in Waco, TX on September 27th, 1957. He graduated from Waco High School in 1975 and went on to enlist in the United States Navy in 1977. He served 27 years of faithful military service where he displayed true leadership, dependability, and dedication in human resources so that Naval personnel could properly function as an organization with vital record keeping and personnel management. He retired from the United States Navy in 2004 as Chief Petty Officer E7 and received an honorable discharge along with various service medals commending his tenured enlistment. He further showed dedication and improvement in his field of human resources by becoming a civil servant for the Veterans Affairs (VA) government organization where he worked dutifully for 20 years until he retired May 31st, 2024. His colleagues often referred to him as reliable, trustworthy, hardworking and magnanimous.
Emmitt was generally a private man, but loved to be around his family when he could and enjoyed the time spent with them on any occasion. He often looked forward to holidays and family traditions to be around loved ones. He was a lover and purveyor of all sports, but mostly basketball and football. He had an intricate love for the Dallas Cowboys and has been an ardent fan of the team for over 3 decades and has collected a myriad of Cowboys memorabilia, artwork, and merchandise to symbolize his love for the team. Emmitt was also generous with charity with his monthly donations largely to St. Jude’s Hospital, but other charities as well. He was an avid reader of various books ranging from science fiction to black American history; and he believed in the spirit of America of what it could be if everyone worked together instead of against each other.
