Bill Compton was born September 4, 1929 on a cotton farm in West Texas, near the town of Loraine. Reginald Noah Compton and Etna Jewel Notgrass welcomed Billy into the world at the dawn of the Great Depression. Bill was the oldest of five siblings, having two brothers and two sisters. He attended the Eastland County schools near Nimrod, Texas. In his late teen years, the Compton family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where Bill worked as a mechanic at his father’s Conoco service station.
Bill voluntarily joined the United States Marine Corps in 1952 and proudly served in the Korean Conflict. He was wounded in action in 1953 and airlifted from the Korean mountains to a Navy hospital ship. The USMC awarded Bill the following medals: Purple Heart, National Defense Service, United Nations Service, and Korean Service Medal with star. He was medically retired from the USMC after recuperating in military hospitals for eight months.
After discharge from the military, Bill married his fiancé, Lena A. Grebe, on December 18, 1953. Their marriage spanned 65 years, ending upon her death in March 2019. Bill worked in the construction industry operating heavy machinery for the majority of his career. The family moved up the Gulf Coast from Corpus Christi, to Port LaVaca, Clute, and Victoria, eventually settling in Houston, Texas in 1968. Bill worked primarily out of Local 450 Union of Operating Engineers in Houston.
Compton family life was centered around faith. Bill worshiped at Southbelt Church of Christ in Pasadena, Texas, and was a prior member at Main Street Church of Christ in South Houston, Texas. Bill Compton will be remembered as a servant hearted man. He was the first to offer help at church, or when someone was in need. He delighted in teaching his two children the finer arts of camping, fishing, and water skiing.
Bill Compton crossed into the next life on Monday, January 18, 2021. He passed peacefully in his sleep at the age of 91. Bill is preceded in death by his wife, Lena, parents Reginald and Etna Compton, brothers Johnnie and Weldon Compton, plus sister Anna Rae Bosch.
Billy Lloyd Compton is survived by one sister, Yvonne Prichard; son Barrett Lloyd Compton and wife Pamela, plus granddaughter, Lauren Compton; daughter Diane Compton Fick and husband Milton, along with seven more grandchildren, Alex Fick and wife Rose, Garrison Fick and wife Blake, Meredith Fick, Marcella Ehrlich and husband Landin, plus Jared, Major, and Rex Fick. Numerous nieces and nephews also mourn the passing of ‘Uncle Bill’.
Bill was lovingly called ‘Papa’ by his eight grandchildren. After retirement, Bill and Lena traveled the world, including trips to Europe, Russia, and China. Bill loved to play dominoes with his church buddies, but spending time with his eight grandchildren was his greatest delight. His first great-grandchild, Alexa Rae Fick, will be welcomed to the world in May 2021.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of these organizations.
Southbelt Church of Christ
Mail checks payable to Southbelt Church of Christ, with “in memory of Bill Compton,” in the memo line, to
4038 Burke Rd, Pasadena, TX 77504.
United States Veterans Chamber of Commerce - USVCC
www.usvccevents.org/donation-billy-lloyd-compton
The only organization allowed to do fundraising by the US Department of Defense to benefit disabled veterans and their families from every military branch
To learn about the organization:
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