Roll Call Tribute

Anderson Clayton Funeral Home - Terrell obituary
301 W NASH ST, TERRELL, TX 75160 | 972-524-6417

Billy Beck Oakley
October 24, 1923 - September 11, 2014
Billy Beck Oakley, age 90, passed away on September 11th, 2014 peacefully at his home in Terrell. Billy was a long-time local business owner, real-estate developer, civic leader and rancher.



Billy was born on October 24, 1923 in Terrell, the son of A.W. and Ethel Beck Oakley. He graduated from Terrell High School in 1941 and attended Texas A&M University at College Station that fall. In 1943, at the age of 19, his class at A&M was called to duty during WWII. He served as an instructor pilot stateside in Army Air Corps briefly before his deployment overseas. He flew C 47s and C 46s over the “Hump”, Himalaya mountains, with the 11th Combat Cargo Squadron in the pacific theatre in China, Burma and India. He returned to A&M after the war and graduated with a degree in animal husbandry in 1947 (class of 1945).



After graduation, he went into business with his father at Gulf Oil Distributing and later with Phillips Petroleum. He owned and operated Oakley Oil Company until his retirement.

Oakley was also active in local real estate development. He was a director of the Sabine River Authority, which involved the development of Lake Tawakoni. He was also a director of the American National Bank of Texas for many years.



Oakley was very involved in the Terrell community. He was honored as Citizen of the Year in 1969. He was past president of the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club. He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church, City Council, Boy Scouts, Foreign Visitors Program, and Texas A&M Alumni Associations, where he made many life-long friends.



Billy and his wife, Kathleen, moved to Lamar County near Paris, Texas in 1983 where he remained active in farming and ranching until the couple moved back to Terrell to be closer to family in 2007.





He was a proud Texas Aggie and he never missed an annual Aggie Muster. He and his wife hosted many Lamar County A&M Club annual hullabaloos, which served as scholarship fundraisers, at their ranch for many years.



Billy Beck Oakley was preceded in death by his parents, his brother A.W. Oakley Jr., and his wife of 66 years, Kathleen Palmer Oakley. He is survived by four children; Larry and Victoria Oakley, Sharon Oakley, Kyle and Cindy Oakley, Keith and Norie Oakley; one nephew James Brent Oakley; nine grandchildren, Ryan Shepherd, Rachel Grigsby, Aaron Zook, Justin Zook, Sean Zook, Matt Oakley, Lauren Oakley, Garrett Oakley, Connor Oakley, and many other cousins, nieces and nephews. The family would like to give special thanks to loving care givers Melody Peery, Sheila Young and the staff at Gentiva Hospice.



Funeral service will be at 10:00am, Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at First United Methodist Church in Terrell with interment to follow at Oakland Memorial Park. The family will receive friends 5-7pm, Monday, September 15, at Anderson-Clayton Bros. Funeral home.





In Lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Kaufman County Aggie Club Scholarship fund, PO Box 668, Kaufman, TX, 75142, www.aggienetwork.com, or the Terrell First United Methodist Church Sanctuary fund, 503 W. College St., Terrell, Texas, 75160.