William A. (Bill) Wadkins,

Wadkins, Jr., William A. (Bill), 83 of Dallas, passed away on March 20, 2011 surrounded by his loving family. Born at home September 18, 1927 to William A. Wadkins, Sr. and Ione Bowles Wadkins, Bill was a lifetime resident of Dallas, graduating from Crozier Tech High School. After spending one semester at Texas A&M, Bill was called to serve his country with the Marines in China during World War II. Upon returning from the war, he married Betty Jo Gilbert, the love of his life. Bill and Betty had met in the second grade and celebrated 61 years of marriage last December. Born with an engineering mind, Bill loved to learn. This passion led him to earn an electrical engineering degree from SMU. It also led to such experiences as scuba diving in White Rock Lake with a homemade diving helmet made from the top of a water heater and rebuilding and flying salvaged airplanes. He was employed in various engineering capacities at Ford Motor Companys Dallas manufacturing plant for 17 years. Bill worked an additional 17 years as a sound engineer for Frazier, Inc., designing and manufacturing custom speaker enclosures for venues including Madison Square Garden. When he retired, Bill was working as a contract negotiations engineer for the Defense Department. A faithful Christian with a loving heart and generous spirit, Bills desire to serve others led him to be a Cub Scout master, Hella Shriner, 32nd degree Mason, and a member of many church committees. He became a community volunteer during his retirement. He worked with the City of Dallas Code Enforcement, Planning Committee and the Dallas Parks Board to make his Pleasant Grove neighborhood a better place to live. His last effort as a member of the Parks Board was to ensure that young families have a place to enjoy themselves in a new park on Jim Miller Road. Bill is survived by his wife, Betty of Dallas; daughter, Jo Ann & husband, Johnny McKethan of Forney; son, Jim Wadkins & wife, Janet of Dallas; granddaughter, Megan Franklin & husband, Justen of Dallas; grandson, Ryan Crocker & wife, Christina of Denton; granddaughter, Kathryn Crocker of Austin; great grandsons, Evan and Ruben Crocker of Denton and Chilean daughter, Marisol Vergara of Santiago, Chile. We love you Daddy. Visitation will be held on Monday March 14, 2011 from 6:00PM " 8:00PM at New Hope Funeral Home, 500 E. Hwy. 80, Sunnyvale, TX. 75182. A Celebration of Life will be 10:00AM Tuesday March 15, 2011 at New Hope Funeral Home, 500 E. Hwy. 80, Sunnyvale, TX. 75182 (972-226-2111) Interment will take place at 1:45PM Tuesday March 15, 2011 at the DFW National Cemetery in Dallas. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the East Ridge Park Christian Church building fund or to the SPCA of Texas, Dallas, Chapter.