Richard William Nowlin

Richard William Nowlin, 66, of DeKalb, TX, passed away on September 6, 2025, at home. Known as Willie to some, and Rugged to everybody else, his memorial service will be at Bates-Rolf Funeral Home in New Boston, TX on Saturday, September 13 at 10am, led by Bro Barry Bobbit.

Willie was an Air Force brat born in Valdosta, Georgia on April 17, 1959, to Dorothy Jo Nowlin and Cameron Nowlin, making Willie a part of the Georgia Peach Crew alongside siblings Camy and Robby. He graduated from New Boston High School in 1978. He was not afraid of labor, working a variety of physically intense jobs like at the rail car depot and the NB concrete plant. He was very proud to work out at RRAD as a paint applicator for military equipment.

Preceding in death are his father and mother, his siblings John and Camy, and his nephew Christopher. Willie is survived by his siblings Robby, Beth, and David, nieces and nephews Jennifer Nowlin-Yates, Timothy & Stephen Guyer, Michelle, James, Robert and Stormy Nowlin, Shannon Rudd, Sylvia Steinkamp, and Jackson Parker, as well as countless beloved cousins and friends. Willie had no children, but there is universal agreement that he would have been an excellent father, including his mother who often mentioned this fact.

Willie holds the record at NBHS for the 880 Yard Dash and is in the NBISD Athletics Hall of Fame. He was a very loyal person. One notable example, from the Nowlin family's time stationed McClellan AFB, demonstrates his loyalty and fearlessness: walking home from school, he fended off some bullies picking on the four siblings by finding a piece of lumber and chasing them away. Willie also demonstrated generosity and pragmatism by stepping up to help with bills of his siblings and nieces/nephews, shared food and drink, but he would not allow folks to become dependent on his handouts.

Services will be held at Bates-Rolf in New Boston on Saturday, September 13 at 10am, led by Bro. Barry Bobbit. For more information, or to send condolences, please visit Bates-Rolf's website at www.batesrolffunderalhome.com.