William R. Stebbins Jr.

Illinois on August 7, 1927. He passed away in San Angelo, Texas on December 10

2011 at the age of 84.

Bill grew up in Chicago, and though he left that city in his teens, he always kept his

classic Chicago accent. He attended grade school in Chicago, high school in Glendale,

Missouri, and Washington University in St. Louis, where he received a degree in Civil

Engineering. He participated in the ROTC program at Washington University and he

attended the Coast Guard Academy in 1945-46. He further served his country in the

United States Navy and served in the Construction Battalion (the Seabees) in 1952-53 in

Korea. He continued his military service in the 1950s in the Naval Reserve.

Bill’s parents valued education and travel, so Bill was fortunate to travel widely as a child

and he may have been the only youngster in his neighborhood to attend both the 1933

World’s Fair in Chicago and the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. This love of travel

never left him as he and his parents traveled nationally and internationally.

Following his parents’ example of commitment to community service, Bill became an

Eagle Scout and volunteered in the scouting program for many years. He also was active

with both the Shriners and the Masons, and most of his life he maintained active

memberships in numerous historical and preservation societies. He and his parents were

very active in political issues and they supported the Republican Party with many

donations, volunteer hours, and the hosting of local party events.

After his service in Korea, Bill began a forty-year career in highway planning in Illinois,

Nebraska, Mississippi and Texas. He retired from Texas Department of Transportation

in Odessa, in 1993. After the death of his father in 1995, he and Bernice moved to San

Angelo, where they were active in many community groups, St. Mark’s Presbyterian

Church, and Fort Concho. Bernice and Bill continued to travel across the country. Bill

volunteered thousands of hours with the Fort Concho Living History Program, a commit-

ment he started when he lived in Odessa. He read widely, collected hundreds of books

on frontier history, and could cite historical issues and data on a wide range of topics.

Bernice passed away in 2004 in San Angelo. Bill leaves many friends from his church,

community involvement, and his many hours at Fort Concho. Special thanks go to the

“Friends of Bill” group of Pat Grothe, Richey Oliver, Allen Price, Linda Gossett, and

Bob Bluthardt who saw to his needs in recent years. Thanks to Dr. Alan Hardwicke for

his care of Bill in his last years, and thanks to the staffs at Rio Concho, Myrtlewood,

Regency House, and Hospice of San Angelo for their outstanding care.

A memorial service for Bill will be held at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church on Johnson

Street on Friday, December 16 at 11:00 am. Bill will join his beloved parents at

the Memorial Park Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois. Memorials may be made to the

charity of your choice.

Family and friends may sign an online guestbook at johnsons-funeralhome.com

Arrangements under the direction of Johnson's Funeral Home, San Angelo, TX.