William Gunn Jr.

1930 - 2017

1930 - 2017 William (Bill) Herman Gunn, Jr., longtime Houston resident, completed the last leg of his earthly journey on April 20, 2017. There will be a Memorial Celebration of the life of Bill Gunn at 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Grace Community Church, 1021 Campbell Road, Houston, Texas. Bill was born on Feb 02, 1930 in Beaumont, Texas to June and William Gunn. He had a brother, Sidney and sister, Emily. Bill graduated from South Park High School in 1947 and attended college at Texas A&M and Lamar College. After marrying his high school sweetheart, Gracie Haynes, in 1949, Bill transferred to The University of Houston, where he earned a BA degree in advertising. After graduation, Bill worked briefly for Magnolia Refinery in Beaumont before moving into his chosen profession. He enjoyed several successful years as an advertising display salesman, being employed first with the Temple Daily Telegram in Temple, Texas for 2 ½ years, then by the Houston Post and Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. in Houston. In 1956 Bill and a partner formed Billsco Publishing Co. (an independent telephone directory publishing company) and began publishing directories for The United States Air Force bases. In 1957 Bill and his partner began publishing independent suburban telephone directories. Theirs was the first independent directory publishing company in Texas. During those years, Bill Gunn was well known and respected by his business associates, customer, and friends for his honesty and integrity. After publishing the Spring Branch Memorial, Houston Northwest, and Oak Forest Telephone Directories for over 30 years, Bill retired in 1988. Bill accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior at an early age and his relationship with God deepened through the years until he left this world and entered eternity. Bill Gunn was a husband who loved and cherished his wife and a father, grandfather, and great grandfather who loved his sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren beyond measure. An avid outdoorsman, hunter, and fisherman, Bill enjoyed a lifetime of family camping and fishing and hunting with his sons, grandson, and close friends. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Grace Haynes Gunn, sons: Bill Gunn, III, Michael Gunn, and David Gunn; grandchildren: Amber Gunn, Shannah Gunn, Jeremy Gunn, and Meagan Mitchak; step grandchildren: Jessica Blackwell and Christopher Peavy; great grandchildren: Cullen Cadena, Cassidy Cadena, and Carter Gunn, and sister, Emily Gunn Harper.