Irvin "Mac" Charles McWilliams

Services for our loving husband, father and Papa, Irvin “Mac” McWilliams, 77, of Diboll, will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, May 11, 2014 in the Gipson Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Kenny Hibbs officiating. Interment will follow in Garden of Memories Memorial Park.

Mr. McWilliams was born May 5, 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of the late Mattie (Wolbert) and Robert McWilliams. He passed away May 7, 2014 in a local hospital.

Mr. McWilliams served his country in the United States Navy as a Senior Chief and retired after twenty years of service. His Military service allowed him to experience many places including Hawaii, Philipines, Guam, Japan, and Hong Kong. He was stationed aboard the USS Princeton and the legendary USS Kitty Hawk. He moved to Diboll in 1974 and started McWilliams Appliance and Refrigeration, later relocating to Lufkin in 1979. He changed the name to McWilliams and Son Heating and Air Conditioning and the tradition of his company has continued for 3 generations. He took a lot of pride in his work from the military to the honest businessman he was. He officially retired from McWilliams and Son in 1999 and began traveling full time between his two favorite homes of California and Texas.

As a young man, Mac’s first love was the rodeo. He and his best childhood friend Bill Barnes did the rodeo circuit for many years riding broncos and earning numerous awards. He loved the action packed dusty days in the rodeo arenas and those were some of his fondest memories. Later in life he began a love for golfing. He enjoyed playing with his friends Bill Smith and Terry Grantham at the Neches Pines Golf Course and his cart could be spotted from far away as a US flag was always perched on top! In California he loved his game nights full of card games and good “travel buddy” camaraderie. Mac was always up for a good game of cards. Always searching out adventure, Mac had a passion for travel. For over 45 years, he and his best friend for Life, Joyice or “George” as he affectionately called her, enjoyed seeing the country. Whether it was on his favorite Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, a convertible with the top down or in his RV all he wanted to do was wheel down the open highways of America. From Maryland to California and everywhere in between, Mac and Joyice were able to visit all 48 continental United States always just enjoying the ride. For Mac it wasn’t always about the destination, but about the journey….the “getting there” that he loved the most. He lived his life that way too. Always an honest, loving, hard working dedicated man, he could create or fix any and everything! Mac will be missed by so many friends and family that there are almost too many to count. His family can rest assured that he now is “On the Road again” in a much better place on the beautiful roads of Heaven.

He is survived by his loving wife of over 56 years, Joyice McWilliams of Diboll; daughter and son-in-law, Barbara Lazarine and Harvey of Lufkin; son and daughter-in-law, Irvin McWilliams, Jr. and Alice of Diboll; daughter and son-in-law, Kathyrn Schultz and Michael of Conroe; grandchildren, Damon and Gail Lazarine, Alexis and Michael Reed, Nicholas and Katie Lazarine, Crystal and Ray Williams, Tiffany and Chris Nash, Irvin “Trey” and Brittinee, Megan and Mary Sands-Schultz, Katie Schultz and Michael Schultz, Jr.; great-grandchildren, Jaxon, Kendall, Lil Ray, Presley, Keegan, Carter, Sawyer, Ava Joy, Brynley, Chloe, Samuel, Jacob and Abby; sister, Nancy Griesmyer of Westminster, Maryland; brother and sister-in-law, Walter McWilliams and Beverly of Taneytown, Maryland; several nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by brother-in-law, Robert Griesmyer.

Pallbearers will be Damon Lazarine, Trey McWilliams, Nicholas Lazarine, Michael Schultz, Jr., Ray Williams, Michael Reed and Chris Nash.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

The family would also like to thank the staff at Memorial Specialty Hospital, as well as Dr. Pinnamaneni, Dr. Kumar, Dr. Cheriyan and Dr. Kahn.

The family will receive friends prior to the service.

Condolences may be offered at www.gipsonfuneralhome.com

Services have been placed in the trust of Gipson Funeral Home.