Billie Burke Bounds

Billie met Jack Beryl Bounds at the age of 11 years old in Dallas and they were together in life there after. Jack quit school the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed and joined the United States Marine Corps. Billie married Jack on July 14, 1942. Now married to Jack and the Marine Corps, they were stationed at different military bases throughout the country including, Cherry Point NC, Kaneohe HI, El Centro, and Camp Pendleton. When Jack retired as a Captain in the Marine Corps in 1977, they made their permanent home in Oceanside, CA. Later in life, Billie lived in Fallbrook and then in Vista. In her final years she had wonderful caregivers who treated her as if she were family. The gratitude our family has for these individuals can never be adequately expressed.

Billie was married to Jack for 37 years until his passing on July 20, 1979. Billie was also predeceased by their eldest daughter, Sandra Bounds Black, and her great-grandson Ryan Caine Mandigo. She is survived by her daughters Nancy Evans (Lou) of Escondido, Kim Rainwater (Greg) of Fallbrook, and Denise Hunter of Chino. She also leaves behind grandchildren Joshua Smith, Tanner Rainwater, Trevor Rainwater, Brandi-lin Mandigo-Watkins (Tim), Raymond Hall-Bounds (Barbara), Michael Hall (Tammy), Todd Eldridge (Erin), Lisa VandenBrink (Arthur), Jordan Hunter, and 10 great-grandchildren.

During her life, Billie worked professionally as a bookkeeper for the Marine Corps for many years and later as a Teacher's Aide for the Oceanside Unified School District. She was also involved in community service as a lifetime member of the California PTA, Job's Daughters Past Bethel Guardian of Bethel 139 in Oceanside, lifetime member of the Order of Eastern Star #287, and volunteered for Girls Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and Boys Scouts.

Billie and Jack were also proudly featured in Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation." Being a child of the Great Depression, there was little money for extras. There was a point in her young life where she owned one dress and her mother washed and pressed it each night so it was clean and fresh for the next school day. As an adult, she was able to become involved in many hobbies that she couldn't do as a child and she included her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in these hobbies. She loved arts and crafts, took classes at the local college, and had collections of Hummel figurines, dolls, teddy bears and anything Winnie the Pooh. She also loved to sew, make teddy bears and Christmas ornaments, explore new places and spend time with family.

She will be laid to rest next to her husband at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas Texas on July 21, 2015