Obituary for William Ferrell "Bill" Fly
William "Bill" Ferrell Fly, Sr., of Stephenville, Texas, passed away on February 20, 2022.
Bill was born in 1941 in Paragould, Arkansas to A.B. and Inez Flye. Don't let the different spelling of Fly confuse you, there was an inadvertent change on his legal name spelling that he embraced. He is the Fly without the E.
Bill graduated from Paragould High School and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was a rifleman specializing in small arms, received a sharpshooter badge, and reached the rank of Corporal. Bill was honorably discharged from service but remained a Marine to the end. Bill attended Arkansas State and went on to have a 40+ year career as a journeyman electrician working on a variety of large scale construction projects. He was a proud and often vocal member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Bill married Ruth Thomen in 1972. Though Bill and Ruth divorced in 1992, they remained committed to their children and grandchildren. Dad promised our mom in her dying moments, he would stick around and take care of the grandkids. In the ten years since, he saw them become teenagers and young adults, he has celebrated four graduations (and will be there in spirit for two more), and was a beaming grandfather excitedly tearing up the dance floor at his grandson's wedding in 2021.
Bill was predeceased by his mother, Inez Flye, his father, A.B. Flye, and his brothers, Joe Flye and Robert "Bobby" Flye.
Bill is survived by children, Krista (Raymond) Wysong, Robin (Albert) Thomas, and William Ferrell Fly, Jr. (Dee), and his ultimate pride and joy, his six grandchildren, Savanna Fly, Rayleigh Wysong, Dustin Davis and his wife Morgan, Aaron Thomas, Kade Fly, and Kori Fly. Bill is further survived by his beloved sister Joyce Flye Dailey and her husband Bill, nephew Henson Flye and his partner Darrah, nephew Jesse Flye and his wife Kelly and sons Cooper and Dawson; nephew Adrian Flye and his wife Elizabeth and their daughter Baylor, and niece Lexa Flye. Bill is also survived by a host of cousins. It is important that we recognize his special friends at Cefco in Stephenville, one of Bill's favorite daily stops where he enjoyed coffee, lottery tickets, and good conversation.
The family extends their heartfelt appreciation to the ICU staff at Texas Health Harris Hospital and Heart to Heart Hospice. The patience and compassionate care provided to him in his final days was beyond measure and provided the family a great deal of comfort.
Bill desired to be cremated as he wanted "to go out in a flash." When making preparations for his passing, we asked him if there was any life lesson he'd want to pass along, without hesitation and with his typical dry humor, he suggested that "when in Alaska, do not eat the yellow snow."
If you wish to honor Bill, he only had one wish for In Memorium donations, as a proud Marine, please support the Marine's long-standing Toys for Tots program.
We will not be having formal services at his request. Instead, our family will be finding ways to celebrate this long-lived life in ways that would make our Dad and Papa smile. We will spend time together, pay it forward with cups of coffee, watch his Razorbacks and Cowboys football, strive to solve Sudoku puzzles, seek out the perfect places for cold beer, great steak, and key lime pie, place a bet at the racetrack, shake a veteran's hand, listen to real country music (even as he was dying, he said Willie and Merle were "a tie" in who was better), read some Louis L'Amour, and laugh at the many Bill Fly'isms he left us with.
Bill was born in 1941 in Paragould, Arkansas to A.B. and Inez Flye. Don't let the different spelling of Fly confuse you, there was an inadvertent change on his legal name spelling that he embraced. He is the Fly without the E.
Bill graduated from Paragould High School and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was a rifleman specializing in small arms, received a sharpshooter badge, and reached the rank of Corporal. Bill was honorably discharged from service but remained a Marine to the end. Bill attended Arkansas State and went on to have a 40+ year career as a journeyman electrician working on a variety of large scale construction projects. He was a proud and often vocal member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Bill married Ruth Thomen in 1972. Though Bill and Ruth divorced in 1992, they remained committed to their children and grandchildren. Dad promised our mom in her dying moments, he would stick around and take care of the grandkids. In the ten years since, he saw them become teenagers and young adults, he has celebrated four graduations (and will be there in spirit for two more), and was a beaming grandfather excitedly tearing up the dance floor at his grandson's wedding in 2021.
Bill was predeceased by his mother, Inez Flye, his father, A.B. Flye, and his brothers, Joe Flye and Robert "Bobby" Flye.
Bill is survived by children, Krista (Raymond) Wysong, Robin (Albert) Thomas, and William Ferrell Fly, Jr. (Dee), and his ultimate pride and joy, his six grandchildren, Savanna Fly, Rayleigh Wysong, Dustin Davis and his wife Morgan, Aaron Thomas, Kade Fly, and Kori Fly. Bill is further survived by his beloved sister Joyce Flye Dailey and her husband Bill, nephew Henson Flye and his partner Darrah, nephew Jesse Flye and his wife Kelly and sons Cooper and Dawson; nephew Adrian Flye and his wife Elizabeth and their daughter Baylor, and niece Lexa Flye. Bill is also survived by a host of cousins. It is important that we recognize his special friends at Cefco in Stephenville, one of Bill's favorite daily stops where he enjoyed coffee, lottery tickets, and good conversation.
The family extends their heartfelt appreciation to the ICU staff at Texas Health Harris Hospital and Heart to Heart Hospice. The patience and compassionate care provided to him in his final days was beyond measure and provided the family a great deal of comfort.
Bill desired to be cremated as he wanted "to go out in a flash." When making preparations for his passing, we asked him if there was any life lesson he'd want to pass along, without hesitation and with his typical dry humor, he suggested that "when in Alaska, do not eat the yellow snow."
If you wish to honor Bill, he only had one wish for In Memorium donations, as a proud Marine, please support the Marine's long-standing Toys for Tots program.
We will not be having formal services at his request. Instead, our family will be finding ways to celebrate this long-lived life in ways that would make our Dad and Papa smile. We will spend time together, pay it forward with cups of coffee, watch his Razorbacks and Cowboys football, strive to solve Sudoku puzzles, seek out the perfect places for cold beer, great steak, and key lime pie, place a bet at the racetrack, shake a veteran's hand, listen to real country music (even as he was dying, he said Willie and Merle were "a tie" in who was better), read some Louis L'Amour, and laugh at the many Bill Fly'isms he left us with.