Richard Velton Sorgee

Velton was the second child of Fred and Mausby Sorgee. He grew up on the banks of a small lake on the outskirts of Canyon, Texas. He attended elementary school through high school at West Texas Normal College in Canyon. He later attended and graduated from West Texas Normal College, studying industrial arts and physical education. He played on the West Texas basketball team that participated in the National Invitational Tournament in New York City.

It was at college that he met his future wife Billye Lee Roark of Lutie, Texas. They were married in the San Jacinto Methodist Church in Amarillo, Texas in 1944. After college Velton and Billye moved to Dimmitt, Texas where he coached football and basketball. Billye and Velton moved back to Canyon where, in October of 1949, Billye gave birth to a son, Richard Sorgee.

For 20 years, Velton was a builder of custom homes and custom cabinets in Canyon. He was one of the founders of Little League baseball and first coaches of Little League baseball in Canyon. For eight years in the 1960s, he coached the Canyon American Legion baseball team.

Billye and Velton moved to Lake Travis in 1973 and eventually settled in Point Venture, splitting their time between Point Venture, Canyon, Wellington, Texas, and the Conejos River in Colorado where Velton built a cabin in 1990.

Velton loved to fish and hunt. He fly fished for trout on the Conejos and on the Guadalupe River in Texas. He fished for bass in Lake Travis with both fly rods and standard gear, from bass boat and float tube. He tied his own trout and bass flies and designed and made his own bass lures. He hunted for quail, dove, ducks and geese. Velton carved wildlife miniatures of birds, fish, and mammals. His specialty was carving miniatures of delicate, stylized, long-legged, long-necked wading birds

Velton was preceded in death by his wife Billye and his sister Lalah Dye. Survivors include son Richard and daughter-in-law Sheila of Austin, cousin Wanda Clayton and Tricia Anderson of Whitehouse, Alan Clayton of Kemah, Sherrilyn Kyle of San Antonio, Mary Wink of Cumby, Edd Roark, Pat Karnes and husband Bill, Lisa Booker, Chan Roark and Mike Karnes.

Private graveside services will be held at Austin Memorial Park.