William R. Valego

William “Bill” Richard Valego of Houston, TX, died peacefully on January 17, 2026, at Harbor Hospice from complications of a stroke. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for a number of years. He was 95 years old.

Bill was born in Williamsport, PA, to Bertha Sanders Valego and Walter William Valego as the first of three brothers. The family lived in housing provided by a golf club that his father managed, a circumstance that would have great effect on Bill and his brother Tom, both of whom developed a lifelong interest in golf. Their younger brother, Gerald Walter, died in childhood in a drowning accident.

Bill received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State in 1952. He subsequently accepted a position at the Standard Oil Company in Bayonne, NJ, where through the company’s tuition benefits program he matriculated for a Master of Science degree at Rutgers and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa in 1960. In 1972 Standard Oil was renamed Exxon, later to be known as ExxonMobil, where Bill remained for his entire career, more than fitting the profile of the “company man.”

More important, at the Standard Oil Company Bill met the woman who would become his lifelong partner, his beloved “Dottie,” his wife of nearly 65 years. They were inseparable in sickness and in health as the photos of the two of them on his memorial website illustrate.

A quintessential company man, Bill was a bon vivant who enjoyed an active social life with Dottie in their younger years, attending many social events with friends and colleagues, as well as golf vacations in the United States and abroad with regular attendance at their club, Riverbend Country Club in Sugar Land, TX.

Nothing defined Bill the man as much as his love of logic and order. He lived an orderly life with daily rituals that punctuated his days, from his morning coffee with the Wall Street Journal to his and Dottie’s happy hour each evening before dinner with a Beefeater martini and an exchange of stories about each of their days, followed by his cherished cigar.

Bill took an active interest in the lives of his family members, delighting in the achievements of his nieces and nephews and their children. His and Dottie’s door was always open to visiting family members and friends. Being invited for their signature happy hour and a dinner of an Omaha steak, baked potato, and fresh asparagus remains a cherished memory for those who celebrate his life.

Bill was predeceased by his parents, Bertha and Walter Valego, and his brothers Gerald and Thomas. He is survived by his beloved wife, Dorothy “Dottie” Kowalak Valego, brother-in-law Wallace Kowalak and his wife Alberta, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He will be sorely missed.

A Celebration of Life, both in person and by livestream, is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, at 10:00 a.m. CST and 11:00 a.m. EST.