Joel Edward Willis

Joel Edward Willis, 68, beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend, passed away on December 27, 2017, in Richardson, Texas, after a courageous battle with cancer. Preceded in death by his father, James Earl Willis, Joel is survived by his wife of 47 years, Karen; son Blake Willis, wife Jessica and grandchildren Laine, Samantha, and Evan; daughter Lindsey Petty, husband Jason and grandchildren Madison and James; and son Justin Willis and fiancé Tiffany; mother Maxine Willis; brothers Garry Willis and Randy Willis; aunts, uncles, cousins and numerous friends.

Born in Harrisburg, Arkansas, March 13, 1949, Joel moved to Lubbock, Texas, as a young child. He graduated Lubbock Monterey High School in 1969 and attended Texas Tech where he met his wife, Karen. They married in 1970 and shortly afterwards, Joel embarked on a long aviation career which took him from working as an aviation parts salesman in Casa Grande, Arizona, to becoming a regional airline captain for Zia Airlines in New Mexico, and eventually serving as a corporate pilot for Dallas-based operations for Republic National Bank, TGIFridays, LLM Corporation, EDS, and finally Bombardier Flexjet. Joel logged thousands of hours in numerous airplanes and jets while traveling all around the world in his nearly 40 years of flying before retiring in 2013.

Joel was the consummate handyman, and in addition to remodeling their family home, loved helping family and friends whenever needed. The grandkids knew if anything was broken, “Grandpa can fix it.” He loved spending time with his family and especially loved being a grandpa!

A memorial service to honor and celebrate the life of Joel Edward Willis will be held January 12, 2018, at 2:00 at Sparkman Funeral Home in Richardson, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society, www.donate.cancer.org.

Arrangements under the direction of Sparkman Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Richardson, TX.