William "Bill" Castillo

Our dear William (Bill) Castillo, 80, of El Paso, Texas, died peacefully at home on November 14, 2014 after a period of declining health. He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Mary Helen Castillo and three children and their spouses: Angel and Marc Balch, Wilmington, Vermont, William Jr. and Hiam Castillo, El Paso, Texas, and Orlando and Penny Castillo, Nashville, Tennessee; three grandsons Zachary Balch, Syracuse, New York, Cameron Balch, Chicago, Illinois and Ritchie Castillo, El Paso, Texas.

Bill attended Dudley School, El Paso High School and Texas Western (UTEP) where he received his degree in Bilingual Education. He was an elementary school teacher with EPISD for 37 years and taught at Zach White and Douglass Schools until his retirement for health reasons. He was beloved and remembered by his students for his humorous classroom antics and stories. He had a great sense of humor and liked to make students laugh with personal accounts of his college fraternity pranks.

Bill was fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and attended Vanderbilt's Institute for Portuguese. He and his wife Helen loved to travel and visited different parts of the world for business and pleasure. He was an avid airplane and ship model enthusiast, loved reading about WWII aviation, history and submarines.

Throughout his life he kept a positive attitude and infectious warm smile that lifted others' spirits. Bill was a kind, caring and loving person, who will be remembered, loved and sorely missed by his family and all who knew him.

Parents Angela E. and Guillermo B. Castillo preceded him in death.

Our special thanks to Dr. Byron Chesbro and CIMA Hospice for their caring.

Contributions may be made to St. Jude Church or UTEP Woman's Auxiliary in his honor.

Visitation will be held Thursday, November 20, 2014 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm with Vigil at 7:00pm at Martin Funeral Home West. Funeral Mass will be held Friday, November 21,

2014 at 10:00am at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 420 Sunset. Entombment will follow at Memory Gardens of the Valley Cemetery.