Billy Joe Linthicum

Bill Linthicum passed away on Wednesday, January 22, 2014. Funeral Services will be 10 a.m., Saturday, January 25, at Connally Compton Funeral Directors Chapel. Burial will follow with military honors provided by the United States Navy at Waco Memorial Park. A visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, January 24, at Connally Compton Funeral Directors.

Bill was born January 25, 1930 in Alvarado, to parents, Joe and Ruby Linthicum. They moved to Waco when Bill was 11 years old. Bill met Melba when he was 14 years old and it was love at first sight for both of them. They married in 1953 and were always together unless one of them was at work. They were known as “Bilba” by some, a phrase coined by nephew, Keith.

When Bill went to join the Navy he didn’t weigh enough, so he ate 15 lbs. of bananas so he could weigh enough to sign up. He would send mother letters from wherever he was stationed. He served in the Korean War and was Helmsman and store keeper while aboard the repair and dive ship, USS Grapple for four years. He was honorably discharged in 1952. He was a member of the American Legion and VFW in Waco. Daddy also was league president at Lake Air Junior League, Senior Teenage baseball and Pack Leader in Boy Scouts. He also did - play by play - announcing for the Optimist football team and kept stats.

Daddy was the type of guy that would fix anything for anybody whether he knew them or not. We went to Wal-Mart once and the door knob in the bathroom was loose, so he went out to his car, got his tools, came in and fixed the door. No questions asked, just needed to be fixed. If you called him and asked how you fix something, almost by the time you hung up the phone, he was knocking on the door with his tool belt ready to fix whatever it was. Daddy could fix anything…it might be upside down as in light switches, but they still worked…He’d just say “Well it works doesn’t it.”

Daddy gave everybody a nickname. There was Big Eye, Fat Eye, Little Eye, Banana Boat, Bull of the Woods Chewing Tobacco, Bessie and Janche, Allio Chervio, Dog Leg, Moon Beam, Big Bad Brad, Dirty Bottom Dirty Diapers, Bail T-Rail, and Bones, but his favorite was Woman. He loved our mother and had other names for her, but his favorite was just Woman. He’s missed her so much since we lost her and tells us he wakes up every night and reaches for her.

His neighbors will remember him for picking up sticks in the yard and rushing around the neighborhood to beat the neighbor to see who could take in the most trashcans for neighbors. Daddy always wanted to help somebody out.

He worked at Bordens for 21 years and then bought a Dairy Queen that he ran for 26 years. Sometimes we kids would be sneaking in late at night about the same time that he would be getting up to go to work. He worked so hard so that mother could stay home and raise their children.

We just have to say again that he loved our mother more than anything else in the world and we love him so much for that and for being such a great daddy and setting such a fine example for us. We will miss you daddy. Enjoy being with Woman. She’s missed you too.

Bill is survived by his sister, Carleeta; brother, Bob and wife, Barbara; three children, Viki, Gary and wife, Janet, Diane and husband, Greg; grandchildren, Billy, Kindle, Lindsey, Chris, Brad, Bailey, and Tyler; seven great-grandchildren; 14 nieces and nephews and his childhood imaginary friend, “Bic”.

Arrangements under the direction of Connally-Compton Funeral Directors, Waco, TX.