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Billie McWhorter
Billie McWhorter
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Billie McWhorter Obituary
WESLACO, TX.-
Billie McWhorter, age 87 of Weslaco, passed away on October 4, 2011.
He was preceded in death by his parents William E. and Irene McWhorter; his brothers Bobby (Sue) and Charles (Joyce); sister, Katherine Jeffries (Herbert Jr.).
He is survived by his sister Frances McWhorter of Galveston; his nephews David McWhorter (Betsy) of Brownsville, Mark McWhor-ter of Houston, Shane McWhorter (Karla) of Kansas City, Kansas, Herbert C. Jeffries III (Mary) of Porter; and nieces Kathy Forray (Zoltan) of Midlothian, Virginia, Carol Bullion (Roy) of Garland and others.
Billie was born in Raleigh, Mississippi in 1923, the eldest of three brothers and two sisters. The family moved from Mississippi to Harlingen in the late 1920s, eventually making Weslaco their home. As a young boy he developed a love of nature, plants and the outdoors. Exploring the largely undeveloped area around Weslaco was a favorite pastime in his early years. Caring for the environment, our natural resources and the preservation of nature were important to him throughout his life.
Billie studied Urban Planning at UT Austin and earned a Bachelor's degree and later a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston. His career was spent as a city planner and engineer, working for many cities throughout Florida, Miss-issippi and Texas. He was a student of history and enjoyed researching the local history of the cities in which he worked, volunteering his services to historical preservation efforts of many. Billie enjoyed traveling, visiting more than 25 countries throughout the world. He was recognized for his knowledge of the Valley's local flora and also enjoyed reading and writing poetry. He wrote several nature articles which were published.
After retiring in 1984, Billie returned to Weslaco to help care for his parents. He became a community volunteer and served in many organizations, in-cluding the Weslaco Historical Museum, Weslaco Public Library, Weslaco Parks Department, Valley Nature Center, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a land steward. He was a member of the Palm Society of South Texas, Nature Conservancy, Frontera Audubon Society, and he was named Outstanding Naturalist in 2001 by the Valley Nature Center.
The body will be cremated in accordance with his wishes. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 11 AM at McCaleb Funeral Home in Weslaco.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Frontera Audubon Society or the charity of your choice.
Arrangements are under the direction of McCaleb Funeral Home of Weslaco.
Sign the guestbook at: http://legacy.com/valleystar/obituaries.asp.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
2 Entries
October 7, 2011
Bill would come by Frontera Audubon on a regular basis, especially during my last year as director and often times accompanied and assisted by Paul. I looked forward to their visits and, typically, we'd sit on the back porch on a late Friday afternoon and sometimes take a stroll through the property. I'll miss those times together along with his wide ranging commentary on all matters, his encyclopedic knowledge that he would willing impart, his quick wit and ability to turn a phrase, and the occasional sharing of gifts, citrus from the old Skaggs orchard and, in return, some of the best mango's I’ve ever had from his backyard trees. He was an asset to the community and to the Lower Rio Grande Valley - I’ll miss you Bill...
wayne bartholomew
Vancouver, BC
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October 7, 2011
A great contributor to the nature community of the Rio Grande Valley has passed. He truly loved the flora and fauna of the Valley.
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