Jerry D. Brentham

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Funeral services for Jerry Brentham will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at Dossman Funeral Home with Andy Davis officiating. Burial will follow at North Belton Cemetery.

The family will receive friends for visitation 5-7 PM on Wednesday at the funeral home.

Mr. Brentham passed away Thursday, May 22, 2025, and was reunited in heaven with his beloved wife Donnie after 63 years of marriage.

Mr. Brentham was born May 30, 1937, in Moody, the son of Carl Brentham and Birdie Lee (Browning) Brentham. He married Donnie Lou Porter on December 22, 1956. He earned his master’s degree from Baylor University.

He was an entrepreneur, inventor and pioneer in the fitness world. He co-founded Hydra-Gym Athletics Inc and The Brentham Foundation with his wife and was a prolific inventor, as he was awarded 33 US Patents for innovative exercise equipment that became staples in fitness facilities around the world that he built Hydra-Gym Athletics on. His innovative approach to fitness and strength training left a lasting legacy on personal and competitive fitness and strength training to this day. In a partnership with Mizuno, Hydra-Gym which then was Hydra Fitness Industries, was the official equipment sponsor for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. He also co-founded the Belton Christian Youth Center along with his wife Donnie and Roy and Mariam Wood.

He served on the board of trustees for Mary Hardin Baylor and was the chairman in of the Athletic Committee that was instrumental joining the NCAA and bringing the football program to UHMB. He served in the Belton’s Lions Club and on the BISD School Board as a trustee and two terms as President of the Texas Baptist Men and was very active in their mission program. He also traveled the world as part of the Texas Baptist Men’s evangelical outreach conducting lay renewal revivals all over the US and Europe.

He was the baseball coach at Temple Junior College in 1971 and 1972. In 1983 and 1984, he received the Presidential Sports Award from Ronald Reagans’ Presidential Council for Fitness and Sports for his contribution to youth participation in athletic competition.

He was the music and choir director for First Baptist McGregor before joining the First Baptist Church Belton and was in active in choir, teaching and the future development and growth of First Baptist Belton for over fifty years.

Jerry was also a dedicated and competitive youth baseball coach for decades in the Belton Youth Baseball Association where he enjoyed coaching and mentoring all the kids, while supporting the parents and the BYBA. He was a lifelong fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Baylor Bears, and Belton Tigers.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, in 2020.

Surviving Jerry are his three sons, Brent Brentham and wife Shantel of Austin; Kent Brentham and wife Amber of Troy; and Evdon Brentham and wife May of Sydney Australia; one brother, Eddie Ray Brentham; 12 grandchildren; Cole Brentham, Chloe Brentham-Cortes, McKensey Brentham, Kylen Brentham, Kael Brentham, Mariam Brentham, Leila Brentham, Austin Brentham, Kristi Aguilar, Klaryssa Ortiz, Kylee McDowell, C.J. Aguilar; and 8 great grandchildren; Roman Cortes, Madilyn, Penelope & Elli Oritz, Alyssa, Zak and Myla McDowell and Carmelo Aguilar.