Roy Alvis Waltz

Roy Alvis Waltz, age 80, of Houston, Texas, passed away Tuesday, July 11, 2023. He was born in Vivian, Louisiana on March 1, 1943, to Rufus Alcorn Waltz and Nellie Hazel Carroll. He was married to Barbara Jean Cooke for 25 years.

Roy graduated from Pasadena High School in 1961 and attended some college courses before going to work for the Texas Highway Department in the field survey department. He then went to work for the Texas Pipe Bending Company as a spooling drafter. The majority of his life’s work began in 1967 at GDS Engineers at the Exxon Baytown Refinery where he worked as a piping designer, design leader, and design supervisor, and then transferred as a design engineering group leader to the Arco Refinery in Houston. He retired at age 62 in 2005 to enjoy traveling around the country in his nice large Newell RV Coach with his later-in-life partner Catherine Shaw.

Roy was an adventurous guy, he enjoyed scuba diving in his younger years. In his 25 years of marriage to his wife Barbara, they kept an RV and took their four children on many driving and camping trips. Roy and Catherine made many trips to all states, national parks, and battlefields in the United States. Roy enjoyed evenings playing bridge with his many friends in several states he met on his travels.

Roy was a member of the Sagemont Church from the 70’s, for his lifetime. Roy had a passion for family history, American history, and people in general. In his last years, his neighbors were always helpful and kind to his needs in his struggle to breathe.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Rufus (1994) and Nellie (2015) and his son James Roy (2022), his wife Barbara (2013), and Catherine (2023).

He is survived by brother James Albert Waltz and wife Elizabeth; sister Carrie Ann Waltz and partner Bill Elliott; sons Michael Wayne and wife Marie and Phillip Wesley and wife Carolyn; daughter Phyllis Jean Vandenberg and husband Ed Vandenberg; daughter-in-law Alisa Paige Waltz; granddaughters Marissa Atkinson and Taylor Waltz; grandsons Tucker Waltz, Tyler Waltz, Logan Waltz, and Jacob Blanchard; nieces: Debbie Waltz Naquin and husband Price Naquin, Sharon Wright, Sarah Waltz, Rachel Waltz, and Pamela Kay Morrison and husband Phil Morrison; nephews James Brett Waltz and wife Amy, James Ishmael Waltz and wife Tina, and Jon David Ansley and wife Brandy; grandnieces Taylor Wood and husband Jeremiah Wood, Abby Naquin and partner Ani, Allison Resendez and husband Kenneth, Kristen Adank and husband Jordan Adank, Ricae Feigleson and husband Jack Feigleson, Isabella Waltz, Julia Waltz, and Violet Waltz; grandnephews Christopher Wright and wife Martha, Brandon Wright and wife Patricia, Jacob Waltz, and Timmy Ansley; great-grandnieces Quin, Hollis, Alexandria, Josephine, Abigail, Emma, Kathryn and Avery; and great-grandnephews Jet, Camden, Braden and Walker.

A visitation for Roy will be held Tuesday, July 18, 2023 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Forest Park East Funeral Home and a funeral service to follow at 11:00 am. A committal service will be at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Trinity, Texas at 3:00 pm.