William Frazier Waid

A Graveside Service will be held Friday, November 8th, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. (Central Time), at Rock Creek Church of God, 1001 Park Rd., Bessemer, AL, 35023.

Whitey was born in Anniston, AL, on December 24th, 1938 to Jessie Mae and William Homer Waid. Raised throughout the Birmingham area, he graduated from Hueytown High School in 1956. He immediately went to work for the Gulf Oil Corporation, kickstarting a 43-year career with Gulf, and later, the Chevron Oil Corporation. During the early years of his career with Gulf, he played semi-professional baseball with the American Legion.

In July 1959, he married Charlotte Ann Roy. Whitey’s two eldest children were born of this marriage, William Mark in 1962 and Casey Grey in 1967. In April 1972, he married Barbara Ann Folker, who he met through a neighbor when he moved into the apartment Barbara vacated in Oxford, AL. After their marriage, the family lived throughout central Alabama, and in 1974, their daughter Courtney Ann was born. In 1976, the family relocated to Virginia when Whitey was offered the position of Terminal Manager for Gulf in Richmond. Whitey often acknowledged the time that he lived in Virginia as a period of tremendous personal growth. He completed his Associates in Applied Studies at the University of Richmond in 1979. During the family’s time in Virginia, Whitey was intensely involved in his children’s activities, from taking Mark to check out the latest comic books published at Clay’s Bookstore and ensuring his girls were prepared for their cheerleading competitions. It was his greatest joy to serve in many capacities in support of Courtney’s competitive swimming, including serving as the Treasurer of Virginia Swimming as well as fulfilling the roles of stroke-and-turn judge, starter, and referee. Ever the athlete himself, Whitey became a neighborhood fixture during these years when he completed his runs most evenings.

In 1992, Whitey and Barbara relocated to the Atlanta area shortly after he transitioned to a training role for Chevron. Upon his retirement in 1999, Whitey and Barbara elected to spend most of their time Georgia. They traveled to their condominium in Clearwater, FL for the winter and for select holidays. Whitey and Courtney began the tradition of spending the winter holidays in Clearwater after Barbara’s death in October 2013. For close to 27 years, he rarely missed an Alabama football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He developed many close friendships playing golf in his retirement years. Golf was an activity he immensely enjoyed and excelled at, as evidenced by his seven holes-in-one. Shortly after Barbara’s death, Whitey began attending church regularly. At the time of his death, he was a member of Hurt Road Baptist Church in Smyrna, Georgia. In 2020, he began daily power walks when he was unable to meet his friends to play golf due to pandemic restrictions. He embraced this new hobby with a fervor, texting Courtney the statistics of each walk.

Whitey sustained injuries in a near-fatal automobile accident on October, 9th, 2022 when he was returning to his home in Georgia from Courtney’s home in Montgomery, AL. He persevered amazingly through six major surgeries during his three-week stay at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Trauma and Burn ICU. In January 2023, he came to live with Courtney. He continued to recover valiantly, but in the end, his strength and ability to continue on was greatly diminished.

Whitey was preceded in death by his father Homer Waid; his mother Jessie Mae Waid Hampton; his wife of 41 years Barbara Waid, and her parents and sister; his brother James Waid; his stepfather James Hampton; sister-in-law JoAnn Waid; and his nephew Timothy Waid. He is survived by his daughter Courtney Waid McCord (Jerrod) of Montgomery, AL; daughter Casey Waid (Rodger) of Frisco, TX; son Mark Waid (Brandy) of Los Angeles, CA; brother Lennis Waid, and nieces Wanda Hicks and Carol Ann Waid, all of Hueytown, AL; nephew John Waid of Birmingham, AL; and Courtney’s beloved stepsons, his three step grandsons: Matthew and David Lindberg of Fargo, ND, and Aaron Lindberg of Fairfax, VA.

Courtney wishes to thank all of the first responders, healthcare providers, and caregivers that served her father in the last chapter of his life. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the First Responders Foundation or charity of your choice.