Billy Eason

Billy Weldon Eason, 77, passed away on Monday Afternoon August the 6th, 2012, in his home in Huntsville, Alabama. He was the second oldest of the four son’s making it to adulthood of Lila Loreena Obenhause and Elmer Frank Eason, born in Plainview, Texas on April 6, 1935. He is survived by two of those brothers Ted and wife Bonnie as well as Bob and wife Sandra, his three children, son William Lee Eason and his life partner Erik Kanel, Son Robert Glen Eason and wife Glenda and their three son’s Joshua, Samuel and Elliot, Daughter Carol Ann and her husband Charles Matthews and their six children Jordan, Logan, Chelsey, Lyndsi, Shelby and Owen.

He was a great son, husband, father, son-in-law, brother, and friend that was known to be generous and loving. He attended Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, Texas until his math teacher informed him that his math and chemistry skills were beyond the challenges of Wayland and recommended he transfer to Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas were he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Math and Chemistry. In his day, he was a college champion chess player. Later he earned another degree in Computer Software Engineering from the University of Houston.

After serving two years in the army where he earned recognition as an expert marksman, briefly taught High school math in the Houston Independent School District and at the time of his marriage to Jerry Lee Burchardt, he worked for a Houston Petro-Chemical corporation in their fertilizer division allowing him to conduct experiments in his home garden recording the various growth rates of bamboo. While studying for teacher certification, he discovered the Computer Science program at the University of Houston and was later recruited by one of the private contractors for NASA to write software. A brilliant computer space engineer and computer programmer known for his work on SpaceLab, a reusable laboratory that flew on more than twenty shuttle missions. Bill wrote or co-wrote much of the code language that was used to perform various experiments related to microgravity in Earth orbit. He also spent several years in the early seventies in Germany writing code that assisted the computerization of flight schedules for German airports.

He was a Southern Baptist’s Southern Baptist. A devout Christian, deacon, and bible study teacher. He was considered a lay scholar in Scripture and theology. He labored tirelessly as the Chairman of the Deacons especially in the creation of the First Baptist Church of League City’s large church campus and Christian school during the Seventies and Eighties. After retirement, Bill was a well known volunteer for American Red Cross. He and his wife travelled to dozens of areas to provide relief and assistance to victims of tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters. He received their prestigious and highly coveted “Distinction of Honor” for his excellence and leadership. Besides church work, the American Red Cross was his favorite hobby. Bill was also a handyman with practical talents. He could do wiring, plumbing, and whole-house problem solving better than most professionals.

Most of all Bill was a man that sought the basic things of life—frugal living, providing for his family, working at the church, looking after his mom, and loving his wife and children. In summary, Billy loved his wife Jerry so much that everywhere you saw Billy, you saw his wife Jerry. This is so evident with the following passage written by a family member in reflection of a photo of the both of them sitting on a park bench one night;

A Captured Moment

It may seem to the two of you; life, as usual, ordinary and commonplace, But for scores of others it has proven to be an elusive and futile chase.

You see, in reality it is a rare treasure you poses, one of the highest value to us, your children.

It’s been a genuine model; one we can hopefully attain to,

Indeed this is a special love that you share, a gift from God, divine.

Anyone who chooses can really see so in this captured moment of time.