Roll Call Tribute

Worthy Ray Warnack 

November 15, 1930 - July 16, 2023 

Worthy Ray Warnack, 92, of Kingwood TX, passed away on July 16, 2023.

He was born in Dallas, TX on November 15, 1930 to Colan Ray Warnack and Stella Faye Dorsey.

Worthy was raised in several Dallas neighborhoods. His father was a University Park police captain, and his mother a teacher, facts that he was very proud of throughout his life.

He graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1948. He was a star running back for the Hillcrest Panthers, and on his 90th birthday was honored by the team who prepared a video presentation in recognition of his 90th birthday.

After graduating from High School, Worthy attended Texas A&M University and majored in Geology while being a member of the Air Force ROTC.

During his college years he worked a summertime job at Tom Freeman’s Gulf station in Dallas, where he met and fell in love with the owner’s daughter, Jo Ann “Jody” Freeman. Thus began an incredible lifelong love, and he and Jody married at the SMU chapel in 1952. He was called to active service in the Air Force and spent a year in South Korea helping to preserve the peace in the immediate aftermath of the war. Worthy was honorably discharged from the Air Force with the rank of captain in 1955. He immediately joined Humble Oil Company (now Exxon) as a geologist, and began his career working the oil fields in Conroe, TX.

Worthy and Jody greatly enjoyed their child raising years. While working for Exxon, he held positions throughout Texas in Conroe, Liberty, Beaumont, Midland, and Baytown, before finally retiring in Kingwood. The longest period by far was in Baytown, where both their children progressed from grade school through high school. During this time, Worthy was able to pursue his love of aviation, building an all-metal Thorp T-18 experimental aircraft entirely from plans, and flying it joyfully for many years. He also beautifully restored a 1949 Ford, and pursued other lifelong interests such as genealogy, history, and inventing gadgets of all sorts.

He and Jody were crazy about their grandchildren and were always coming up with special fun activities while they were growing up, such as GPS-enabled scavenger hunts and hosting swimming parties for them and their school friends. Worthy also built an elaborate stage, complete with lights and curtains, for them to invent plays and present them to delighted family members.

In their later years, Worthy and Jody greatly enjoyed traveling, and took numerous trips and cruises all over the world.

Worthy is preceded in death by his loving wife Jo Ann (Jody) Warnack. He is survived by Sons Dr. Worthy (Ann) Warnack and Mark (Mary) Warnack, grandchildren Dr. Elizabeth (Andy) Gorman, Emily (Ryan) Fortner and Thomas Warnack, and great grandchildren Charlotte Fortner, Henry Fortner, and Charlie Gorman.

A private burial service will be held at Sparkman/Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas.

IN THE CARE OF
Kingwood Funeral Home