Hollis Wade McGinnis Sr.

Hollis Wade McGinnis, Sr., devoted family man and friend, passed peacefully at age 100 and joined our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ on August 4, 2026. Born on February 16, 1926, in Blair, Oklahoma to Scott and Avis McGinnis, his family moved to Bartlett, Texas, then settled in Taylor, Texas, in 1936.

A star athlete for the Taylor Ducks, Hollis lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He won the 440-yard dash at the 1943 regional track meet. After graduating from Taylor High School, he attended Texas A&M University, then enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps alongside many fellow Corps of Cadets members. He trained as a tail gunner, first on the B-17 Flying Fortress, then, after the war in Europe ended, on the B-29 Superfortress in preparation for deployment to the Pacific theater. Tail gunners were held in high regard by their crewmates as they were the crew's final line of defense facing freezing temperatures and enemy gunfire. Hollis and his crew, on both aircraft, were only days from deployment when each war ended.

When the war with Japan ended, Hollis was transferred to Greensboro, North Carolina, where friends introduced him to the Sedgefield Country Club and a lifelong love of golf began. After his honorable discharge, he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a BBA in Business and was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. More importantly, he met a beautiful young Zeta Tau Alpha from Victoria, Texas, named Anne Hofmann. Hollis and Anne married in 1950 and shared more than 50 years together until her passing.

After living in Houston, where he attended South Texas School of Law and worked for American General Insurance Co., and in Wichita Falls, Hollis and Anne settled in Austin and raised their two children. His career advanced at Trinity Universal Insurance Co. and American Founders Life Insurance Co. before he became an independent insurance agent. Hollis earned the highest score on the State of Texas' General Insurance Exam as well as his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation. In the late 80’s, he sold his successful property and casualty insurance practice to Central Insurance Agency in Austin and transitioned into an active retirement.

An Austinite for nearly 70 years, Hollis was active in numerous community affairs. He was proudest of his ties to First English Lutheran Church, where he served in various capacities, and Austin Country Club, where he built lifelong friendships and participated in the annual "Screen Door Open" in Fort Worth alongside the Colonial golf tournament. He often shot his age and made numerous holes-in-one at ACC. An avid outdoorsman, he loved deer and bird hunting, and fishing for speckled trout and redfish in Aransas and Copano Bays. He especially enjoyed dove and quail hunting with one of his Labradors. His gunnery training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base made him an accomplished marksman.

Hollis loved sports. He admired Coach Darrell Royal who was born in Hollis, Oklahoma, a fellow Army Air Corps veteran, and a friend from ACC. However, his true love was his beloved Fightin' Texas Aggies. He wore his maroon A&M hat to most Longhorn home games regardless of opponent. He kept a dove hunting lease north of Austin for over 20 years, and in later years treasured bird hunting trips to South Texas with his son, including a 20-plus-year tradition of an annual dove hunt with a close friend and fraternity brother, his grandson, and other family members. His last dove hunt came at age 88 alongside his son, when he nearly limited out to the amazement of other hunters in the field that afternoon who were decades younger.

Hollis was preceded in death by his loving wife, Anne; his brother, Scotty (a WWII veteran); his sister, Christine Applin; and other beloved family members and friends. He is survived by his sister, Betty Masur of Wimberley; his daughter, Sheila (McGinnis) Weitzel, and her husband, James, of Houston; his son, H. Wade McGinnis, Jr., and his wife, Donna, of Austin; grandchildren Erin (Weitzel) Pierce, Drew Weitzel, Grace Anne (McGinnis) Fulcher, and Michael McGinnis (and their spouses); four beautiful great grandchildren; special niece Janie Applin Wisecup and her son, John Wisecup; and many other loving nieces, nephews (including the three Masur boys, David, Darren, and Marshall), family, and friends.

A private family celebration of life and burial with military honors will take place at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery in early September. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First English Lutheran Church, 3001 Whitis Ave., Austin, TX 78705. Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 5416 Parkcrest Dr., Austin, TX 78731.