William "Bill" Anderson Stephens

William (Bill) Anderson Stephens, 76 of Houston, Texas went to be with his Lord on June 4th, 2016. Bill was born in Beaumont, Texas on March 12, 1940 to Robert Peter Stephens and Lillian Pennington Stephens. Bill is survived by his wife of 46 years, Frances (Deanie Mitchell) Stephens. His children William (Bill) Stephens Jr. & wife Lisa, Larry Stephens & wife Toni, Casandra (Casey) Chadwick & husband Aaron, Jason Stephens & wife Diana. Brothers Robert Stephens Jr & wife Renate, Sherrill Hooks & wife Kathy. His grandchildren Trey, Matthew, Isaac & wife Maddison, Jacob, Sarah & husband Dallas, Rachel, Rebecca, Kyle, Michelle, Abigail, Madeline, Mitchell, and Maja Stephens; Connor, Camryn, and Braden Chadwick. Bill had one great grandchild, Emerson Stephens. Brothers-in law, sisters-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews. Bill graduated from Crosby High School in 1959, followed by a stint at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. It only took him two years to realize he wasn’t cut out for school. He never said why, but we assume it’s because he was smarter than all of his professors. In the early ’60’s, Bill was a meter-reader for Houston Gas Company where he was paid per meter. He quickly learned to be efficient and would run to each house so he could finish early and go to his second job. It was around this time that he almost lit a guys car on fire to teach him a lesson about personal property rights. Imagine the lessons he taught his children. Later, working at the Downtown Post Office, Bill met life long friend and future business partner, John Bitner. He also learned almost every zip code in the state of Texas. While at the Arco Petroleum plant, Bill took part in a meltdown and overflow of a giant wax vat, and was present when an ill-thinking coworker almost blew up the entire ship channel. It was at Dow Chemical in 1969 when Bill looked out his office window and saw a long-legged brunette walk across the parking lot. Being the smooth talker that he was, he called the switchboard where she worked and said “Boy, you’re a big girl, aren’t you?” She hung up on him. If he wasn’t so persistent, several children and grandchildren wouldn’t exist right now. (Thank you!) It was at Adams Petroleum, after helping a rotund Bud Adams off the floor after a broken chair, that Bill met John Crawford, who introduced Bill to the seductive world of office products. After a few moves to Brownwood and Albuquerque, the Stephens family settled down in Houston. They spent their life savings of $17,000 to start Key Office Products with John and Nell Bitner. Over the years, in and out of the business world, he ended his office products career owning Hallmark Office Products in Houston, Texas. In his “retirement”, he relaxed by repairing and remodeling homes full time for his friends. Some would call it work. He called it his hobby. The thing Bill truly enjoyed was flying the P-51D Mustang with Stallion51 in Florida. He always said that it’s the only thing he’s ever done where he didn’t think about anything else while doing it. That focus gave him the freedom to truly enjoy it. The boy in him came out while he flew low over the terrain, probably imagining he was in the old war films he would watch on the History Channel. While he could still “fit in the cockpit”, he accumulated about 10 hours in Crazy Horse. Mustang03Bravo. In his later years, he became an active member of Our Savior Lutheran Church and made many friends there. If you ask his friends, to say he was a generous man with his time and talent would be an understatement. He will be missed. It’s impossible to summarize Bill’s life in a page or two. This is just a glimpse. We who experienced it are the fortunate ones. The family will receive friends, Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 5pm - 8pm at Heights Funeral Home. Funeral Services is scheduled for Thursday, June 9, 2016, 11am at Our Savor Lutheran Church, 5000 West Tidwell Rd., Houston, Texas 77091. Interment will follow at Earthman Resthaven Cemetery, 13102 North Freeway, Houston, Texas 77060. Serving as pallbearers; Jerry LaTour - Friend, Rainer Stephens - Nephew, Aaron Chadwick - Son-in-law,

Matthew Stephens - Grandson, Isaac Stephens - Grandson, Jacob Stephens - Grandson, and Connor Chadwick - Grandson. Honorary Pallbearers:

Braden Chadwick - Grandson, Kyle Stephens - Grandson and Mitchell Stephens - Grandson