William Kenneth DeFee

William "Bill" DeFee's 6-year battle with Alzheimer's Disease ended on September 13th, 2024. He was 79 years old and surrounded by his wife and children at the time of his passing.
He will forever be remembered as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Linda Boon DeFee; his two boys, Brian and Mark; his two daughter in-laws, Kelly and Nicole, and his 5 grandchildren, Cayden (16), Grayson (13), Lincoln (12), Boon (6) and Rose (3).
Bill was born in Flushing, NY in 1945. Shortly after his birth, Bill's family moved to the Dallas-Fort-Worth area. He grew up in Fort Worth and graduated from North Richland Hills High School (1963). Bill served in the Army before obtaining his bachelor's degree in finance at Texas Tech University (1971). He's also a graduate of The Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University (1976). He went on to have a 40-year career in the banking industry.
He often talked about how he loved helping small business owners' firm up their business plans in order for Bill's bank to approve their loan. He was known to all as a virtuous man who would speak his mind and do the right thing, even to a fault.
Volunteering was a large part of Bill's life. His volunteer work included being a Board Member of the Fort Worth Chapter Board of Governors of the American Institute of Banking, The President of The Mid-Cities Optimist Club, Secretary and Treasurer of The Northeast Tarrant County Chapter of Texas Tech Ex-Students Association, a Committee Chairman of the Longhorn Council of Boy Scouts of America, and Chairman of the Board for The Make-A-Wish North Texas Chapter. Serving on the Board with Make-A-Wish brought him great joy. He was also a Charter member of St. Andrew's Methodist Church in Plano, TX.
Whether it was on his sailboat, The Pinata, or his motorboat, Bill loved being on the water. He spent countless days at the family's Lakehouse on Lake Cypress Springs in Mount Vernon, TX.
Later in life, Bill was fondly known as "Pops" to his family and grandchildren. He loved playing with his grandkids and being around them as much as possible.
His fortune cookie sized bits of wisdom like, "You gotta plan your work and work your plan," will happily be handed down to the next generation of DeFee's, cue the teenage eye-rolling.
He always kept his family at the center of his world and found a professional calling that energized him. He was a great man who crafted a life anybody would be proud to live.
A memorial service will be held in his honor on Saturday, September 28th at 11:00 am in Hasley Chapel on the St. Andrew's Methodist Church campus in Plano, TX.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to either The Make-A-Wish North Texas Chapter or St. Andrew's Methodist Church Dementia Support Ministry