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Roll Call Tribute

William "Bill" Watts Jr. '69 June 14, 2021 2:25 PM updated: June 14, 2021 2:45 PM

William Maxwell Watts Jr.
Monday, February 24th, 1947 - Sunday, May 23rd, 2021

William (Bill) Maxwell Watts Jr., age 74, of Grapevine, Texas, passed away May 23, 2021, in Grapevine. A military graveside service will be held June 23, 2021, at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at 1:00 pm.

Bill was born February 24, 1947, in Waco, Texas, to William M. and Jane Louise (Griffin) Watts. He was preceded in death by his parents and his son, John Paul Watts.

He is survived by his daughter, Amy Kathleen (Steve) Ouellette of Fallrook, California; sisters, Carolyn (Jeff) Cody, Judy (Harold) Graves, Jane (Warren) Gardner; 3 grandchildren, Lauren, Jacob, and Jena; 2 great grandchildren; 2 nieces, 4 nephews, and his longtime friends/brothers and special neighbors.

Bill had the privilege and challenge of growing up with 1 slightly younger and 2 slightly older sisters. He was Mother’s favorite child, of course.

From the time he could hold a ball, he was a baseball player. His first year of Little League he batted .925. He was so little no pitcher could ever find the 4 inch strike zone. By the time he played at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, he was an outstanding short stop and was offered a college scholarship by Sul Ross University. He was also a great yearbook photographer at Rider High. The dark room he created in his very small closet was one of his many ingenious creations.
He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in electrical engineering and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1969. He served at Ft. Benning, GA, and at Ft. Polk, LA, as an instructor on a variety of weapons ranges. After leaving the Army, Bill, a Licensed Professional Engineer, spent most of his career at Roberts and Spencer Instrument Company in Dallas. He was an avid, forever Texas Aggie, Texas Ranger, and Rider High School fan.

Fishing was a big deal for Bill. Forty years of fishing trips with his 2 lifelong best buddies, Rene and Charles, produced many memorable lies and stories and some pretty good fish fries. He’s known for storing his boat batteries in the living room for safe keeping. Over the years he used his boat to share life and fishing adventures with lots of people.

Bill’s sense of humor was amazing. He could find the funny in most anything. He loved to tease and laugh. Family gatherings were fun and special times for him.
Bill lived his life as a Christian man who knew how to love even when it was hard to do so. Love, devotion, and gratitude were part of who he was. His daughter, son, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were the love and joy of his life.

He saw good in everyone and even saw good in stubbornness. Stubbornness and determination saved his life for 30 years. Fighting some major medical battles the past few years weakened his body, but not his positive spirit. This spirit was on full display during his last trip to the hospital. Although he was in pain and could barely breathe, he apologized to the EMTs for not being able to walk to the squad and for taking them away from possibly more urgent calls. Then he worried the siren lights were scaring the neighborhood kids. While in the ER, he thanked the staff every time they stuck him, moved him, or adjusted his oxygen mask…then apologized for groaning. Though not perfect in every way (he couldn’t play the piano), he was very smart, incredibly thankful, beyond generous, unbelievably humble, incredibly independent, wildly witty, and genuinely good. He loved his family and friends endlessly. Like Yogi Berra, he believed “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.”




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