Roll Call Tribute

Billy Don "Bill" Thornton 

January 4, 1943 - December 27, 2025 

Billy Don Thornton passed away peacefully at home on December 27, 2025, after a brief illness, surrounded by love. He was 82 years old.

Bill was born on January 4, 1943, in Santa Rita, New Mexico, to Will and Ella Mae Thornton. He spent his early years in Hurley, New Mexico, where the wide-open desert, rugged mountains, and endless fresh air shaped both his character and his lifelong passions. It was there that Bill first discovered baseball, the game that would capture his heart and fuel his dreams. From sunup to sundown, he could be found practicing his pitching, determined that one day baseball would be more than just a pastime.

At the age of 12, Bill and his family moved to Dallas, Texas. He graduated from South Oak Cliff High School in 1961, where he was a standout student and athlete. He earned letters in both basketball and baseball and was actively involved in the Key Club, Allied Youth, the Sportsmanship Committee, and served as a Student Council Representative, early signs of the leadership, discipline, and camaraderie that would define his life.

Bill’s talent on the baseball field earned him an athletic scholarship to Texas A&M University. A proud Aggie, he graduated in 1966 with a degree in marketing.

On June 11, 1966, Bill married the love of his life, Nodya Rejcek Thornton. Together, they built a life grounded in love and laughter, raising their two children, Aaron and Matthew, primarily throughout the Houston area.

Bill had a deep love for music and spent many joyful years playing rhythm guitar in his band, The Rogues. Rock and roll was always playing somewhere nearby, with favorites like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Van Morrison providing the soundtrack to countless family road trip memories.

Professionally, Bill built a career in sales, working with companies such as Fireman’s Fund in Little Rock, Arkansas, Faber-Castell and Nifty in Houston, Texas. He retired from Texas Correctional Industries in Huntsville, Texas, serving as an Assistant Manager in charge of operations that produced furniture, garments, and plastic goods for state agencies and schools.

Golf was one of Bill’s greatest passions, and many of his closest friendships were forged on the course. His dedication to the game was undeniable, so much so that he achieved the honor of Club Champion for five consecutive years at Waterwood National Golf Course, a renowned Pete Dye design. Those fairways were where he found peace, competition, and lifelong friendships.

Bill cherished time spent traveling with family and friends, with Ruidoso, New Mexico, holding a special place in his heart. True to his childhood roots, he had a legendary love of Mexican food. His favorite meal was Albuquerque enchiladas topped with a fried egg and a side of sopapillas, though he would never turn down a good chicken-fried steak or a juicy hamburger.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Will and Ella Mae Thornton. He is survived by his devoted wife, Nodya Thornton; his daughter and son-in-law, Aaron and Duane Zepeda; his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Natasha Thornton; his beloved grandchildren, Violet and Everett Zepeda; and his loyal and loving companion, Chief.

A lifelong Aggie, Bill carried his love for Texas A&M University with pride and joy. The values he learned there guided his life as a husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He cherished the camaraderie of the Aggie family and the traditions that connected generations.

Bill will be remembered for his humor, his loyalty, his love of family, music, golf, and Texas A&M, and for the steady way he showed up for the people he loved. His legacy lives on in the stories shared, the games watched, and the family he so deeply loved.

We find comfort in knowing that Bill’s earthly journey has ended and his eternal one has begun. Scripture reminds us, “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Lord.” Bill lived a life rooted in love and devotion to family, and we trust he is now at peace, reunited with loved ones, and resting in God’s presence.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11am, Saturday, January 31, 2026, at First Christian Church of Granbury, 2109 W US Hwy 377, Granbury, TX 76048.

Though we grieve his absence, we hold fast to the promise of reunion and the hope that carries us forward.