William "Bill" Richard Waddle

William (Bill) Richard Waddle went to his forever home with our Lord Jesus on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

The family will receive friends from 9 until 10 a.m. Friday, February 6, 2026 at Owens and Brumley Funeral Home in Burkburnett.  Graveside services will follow at Burkburnett Memorial Cemetery.

In his 93 years of life, Bill lived a lot and loved a lot, leaving behind a legacy to his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Bill was born on January 17, 1933 in Miami, OK to his parents George and Zella Waddle. He also lived in Commerce, OK, where neighborhood boys would play baseball, including Mickey Mantle. He lied about his age to join the Navy at only 17 years old, along with his brother, George, to fight in the Korean War, serving on the USS Orleck. Bill was a very proud Navy Veteran, and traveled around the world to many Navy Reunions with his wife Lois. Going to Hawaii is their favorite trip they took to reunite with Navy friends.

Once Bill got back from the war, he met and fell in love with his beautiful bride, Lois Louise Sloan. They actually went on a double date with different people, but they were drawn only to each other. They married on October 20, 1956. Bill and Lois moved around the country for different teaching jobs Bill held. Bill has taught middle school up to college. He also coached middle school basketball. They had three daughters, Karen Renee, Lisa Marie, and Janet Kathleen. Once while living and teaching business classes in North Carolina, Bill gave his students extra credit for helping to build their house. Their family of five held on to the fondest memories of living there that they often shared stories about.

Eventually, the Waddles moved to Burkburnett, TX where Bill sold insurance. They set down roots and lived there for decades, raising their daughters, and even grandchildren. Bill loved his family deeply. He did tend to spoil all his girls, including granddaughters, and his grandsons. Although he lived a frugal life, he often found it difficult to say “no” especially to a daughter or granddaughter who asked sweetly for something. He had a very giving spirit to his community as well. Many community members would enter his insurance office in Wichita Falls to ask for help, and Bill was always willing to lend a few dollars to help them out. He had a saying that he used often, “I love to help people who help themselves.” But he always gave without expectations of being paid back.

Besides his family, there are many things that Bill loved such as war documentaries and books. He also loved watching John Wayne movies and other westerns. He loved to travel with his family all over the country. Bill and his wife Lois spent many decades as Square Dancers, and was even President of the Red River Valley Association. They were also members of the Boomtown Yellow Rockers. They loved to take their grandchildren to their weekly dances to eat yummy snacks and hopefully win money raffles. Bill and Lois loved when they square-danced on the steps of the Texas Capitol. They often took granddaughter Vanessa with them to different cities and states to square dance. Vanessa’s college friends were fascinated by this activity, so they would go watch Bill and Lois dance and show off their dance moves. They became Meme and Papa to everyone.

Bill doted on his grandchildren Vanessa, Richard, Deidra, Seth, Drew, and Aidan. He always showed up and supported them. He loved to take them out to eat hamburgers and ice cream. He also always shared the BEST home-grown tomatoes that he would grow every summer. He was very passionate about his tomatoes. He would travel all over the country to see his grandchildren, including Alaska.

Bill also was a member of First Baptist Church Wichita Falls where he attended for decades. He loved Jesus a lot and his faith was very important to him. Bill also loved his country and was always watching the news. Although he denied it, he would most often fall asleep in his chair watching the news each night.

Bill is preceded in death by his wife Lois, parents George and Zella, brothers George, Pat and Mike, and daughter Lisa. We know that Lois was waiting in Heaven for him, with her hands on her hips saying, “It’s about time!.” Bill missed his wife very much.

Surviving family members who miss him very much include his daughters, Karen Waddle and Janet (Waddle) Espach; Granddaughters Vanessa (Griffin) Collier and husband Brady, Deidra Myers, Aidan Waddle; Grandsons Richard, Seth, and Drew; Great grandchildren Makenna Collier, Caden Collier, Austin Collier, and Avery Yonts; brother-in-laws Virgil Sloan and Orville Pierce and sister-in-law Sharon (Sloan) Pierce; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He will be greatly missed, but he lived a long, fulfilling life. We will remember him as Papa, the greatest Papa there was.