William Anthony Abreo Jr.

A visitation for William will be held Thursday, June 5, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM aWilliam “Bill” Anthony Abreo, Jr., faithful husband, father, grandfather, and friend, died on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at his home in Houston, Texas. Bill was born on September 1, 1942, in Gramercy, Louisiana, to William “Bubby” Abreo, Sr. and Corinne Lowry Abreo. Bill married his high school sweetheart, Glenda Louque, on July 31, 1960. Bill and Glenda stayed together through all manner of adventures and challenges until her death in 2022. Bill is the father of one son, Damian Abreo, and was a member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church.

Bill attended Lutcher High School in Lutcher, Louisiana, graduating in 1960. He attended Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana for a short time before moving to El Campo, Texas in 1962 to take a job at May Aluminum. Despite having over three hundred college credit hours, Bill never earned a degree. He took tremendous pride in the fact that his son attended Rice University and the University of Houston Law Center, often joking, “Yes, Damian is a lawyer. It is the biggest family disgrace since the men in our family hid in the swamp to avoid conscription during the Civil War.” The man could occasionally turn a phrase.

Bill spent his entire career in the oil patch, first as a die engineer maintaining forging dies in Cameron Iron Works’ machine shop, then as a draftsmen, then as an engineer, and ultimately as a project engineer managing teams of younger engineers. As an engineer, Bill designed marine wellheads and down-hole tools. He held several patents and took great pride in his work. While Bill spent the lion’s share of his career at Cameron, he also worked for Technip and Aker Kvaener making life-long friends at each.

Bill dedicated tremendous amounts of time and effort to numerous organizations including St. Ambrose Catholic Church, the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, and Timbergrove National Little League. Bill loved working with metal and machinery. Just about any evening would find him in his garage, building go-carts, fishing rod holders, and just about anything else you could imagine. Always attired in red Cameron coveralls with the sleeves removed and “Bill” emblazoned on his chest, he maintained his own cars, his house and everything in it, several motorcycles, and a boat or two. Bill could fix just about anything.

Bill is survived by his son, Damian Abreo, daughter-in-law Laurie Abreo, granddaughter Amanda Abreo, brother Jeff Abreo and sister-in-law Julie Abreo, sisters Kathleen Rice and Lois Bolton, brother-in-law Steve Darnell, in-laws John L and Myrna Cox, and Sheila Schexnayder, and nineteen nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife of sixty-two years, Glenda Louque Abreo, parents William Abreo, Sr. and Corinne Lowry Abreo, sister Elinor Darnell, brother-in-law James Earl Schexnayder, father-in-law Ferdinand Louque, and mother-in-law Helen Louque.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, June 5, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Heights Funeral Home at 1317 Heights Blvd., Houston, Texas 77008, with Rosary at 7:00 p.m. A funeral mass is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025, at St. Jerome Catholic Church, at 8825 Kempwood, Houston, Texas 77080 with interment services immediately thereafter at Woodlawn Cemetery, 11091 Antoine Dr., Houston, Texas 77055. A reception at St. Jerome Catholic Church will follow the graveside service.