William Wyatt Campbell's Obituary
He never saw a hatch he couldn’t match. Bill Campbell, 93, of Dallas, Texas passed away July 25, 2017, at home with his loving wife by his side. He was born July 7, 1924, in Marshall, Texas. He was married to Mary Virginia (Ginger) Ray Campbell April 3, 1993, in the Wynne Chapel of Highland Park Presbyterian Church. Dr. Clayton Bell officiated. Bill is survived by his daughters Kim Factor (Abe), Elizabeth Campbell (Shinpachi), and Becky Ray Monning (Wynne); sons David Maclaurin Campbell, DeWitt Ray III (Julie), and Brandon Ray (Amy); also eleven grandchildren: Ace, Jay, and John Factor; Marisa, and Brandon Nakai; DeWitt IV and Savannah Ray; Buck, Will, and Tex (John) Monning; and the beautiful redhead Emma Ray Also his four loving nieces Mary Katherine, Mildred Jean, Marbie Jeanette, and Debra. A true Texan, he started his career as a rivet bucker with the Texas & Pacific Railroad in Marshall, Texas. With the onset of WWII, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed on Tenian Island where he served as a medic for the duration of the war. Bill graduated from the University of Texas on the G.I. Bill with a B.A. in Ancient Languages and General Studies. He married Flora Jean Ware who he met in a spanish class at UT. They were married on August 20, 1950 at Central Christian Church in Austin. They had 3 children and Jean preceded him on December 26, 1975. A past president of the Texas Rehabilitation Association, he was mentored by Gerald L. Clore of the Dallas Goodwill Industries. Bill served as Executive Director of the Tacoma and Austin Goodwills, and the May T. Morrison Rehabilitation Institute in San Francisco. He was appointed Acting Regional Commissioner of Health and Human Services in Seattle. He created programs targeted to bring people out of the back wards of mental hospitals. His efforts gave workers jobs, independence, and pride. He fished his way to the Ramble House in Creede, Colorado where he became enchanted with the catch he could never release, Ginger. She was his finest catch. He was known for “Bill’s Stone Fly” that matched the Giant Stone Fly hatch on the gold medal waters of the upper Rio Grande. Fly fishermen the world around would call Alton and Virginia Cole with requests for “Bill’s Stone Fly” every June. He was an active member of Highland Park Presbyterian Church. The service to celebrate Bill’s life will be held on Friday, July 28, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. in the Wynne Chapel of Highland Park Presbyterian Church. Dr. Nelson Bell will officiate. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to a charity of choice. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to a charity of choice.
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