William "Bill" Vinson Jr's Obituary
Services for William (Bill) Vinson, 93, of Longview will be held in the Chapel of Rader Funeral Home on Saturday, November 19, at 2PM. He will be laid to rest beside his wife of 66 years, Lois Hatton Vinson, in the mausoleum of Rosewood Park. Mr. Vinson went to the loving arms of his Lord at 1AM on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.
Bill was born in Chester, Texas to parents William and Margaret (Maggie) Dickens Vinson on June 1, 1923. After finishing high school and attending business school, Bill and Lois married in Beaumont, Texas. Bill joined the Merchant Marines and served as a radio operator for several years. He later served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged with the rank of First Seargent. After serving his country, Bill went to work for Sun Pipe Line Company. He was promoted many times during his ilustrious career with Sun. He retired as a corporate executive with Sun after 37 years of Loyal Service
Bill was recruited by Texoma Pipe Line Company to build and manage their pipeline from Okahoma to the Gulf Coast of Texas. Since this would mean moving to Longvew where Bill and Lois planned to retire, Bill took early retirement from Sun Pipe Line to become General Superintendant for Texoma. Bill retired permanently from Texoma five years later.
Bill had a passion for playing golf with his friends into his eighties. His golf and ranger partner was his best friend of many years, Ray Vallery of Longview. Bill and Ray worked at Sun together for years. Bill also enjoyed bowling on the Sun Team and Playing tennis in his youth at Chester High School. Bill and Lois were active church members and leaders at numerous Church of Christ congregations, wherever they lived.
Mr. Vinson was preceded in death by his parents, William and Margaret Vinson; the true love of his life, Lois Vinson; and his best friend, Ray Vallery. Those left to cherish his memories include his daughter, Carrie and her husband Tolbert Chisum; granddaughter Debby Chisum and three great-grandsons, Will, Zach and Josh Chisum of Beaumont.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, PO Box 4486, Houston, Texas 77210 in memory of William H. Vinson, Jr.
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