William O. "Bill" Stringer

William Orville (Bill) Stringer was born on February 8, 1935 and passed away on November 19, 2014. Preceded in death by both parents, Hazel and Barkley Stringer; sister Jo-An Furlow; all grandparents, aunts and uncles; some cousins, in laws, co-workers and friends; and a menagerie of well-loved pets, most recently Rosie, Turbo and Maggie. Bill is survived by his devoted wife of 56 years, Linda Lowe Stringer; daughter Patti Stringer McPeek and husband Joe; daughter Juli Stringer; grandsons Drew McPeek, Cameron McPeek and Matthew Hanks; brother Jack Stringer and wife Judy; brother Tom Stringer and wife Jackie; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Bill served for four years in the United States Marine Corps. "Once a Marine, always a Marine." He worked for 39-1/2 years at Rohm & Haas Chemical Plant in Deer Park, Texas, taking early retirement in 1996. Bill's greatest joy in life was coaching softball, first for daughter Patti, then for daughter Juli. He was the fairest coach you would ever meet. He took his teams to tournaments and played every girl even when not required to. It wasn't about winning for him; it was about "dancing with the ones that brought you." When grandsons came along, Bill became their #1 fan, cheering at basketball, football and baseball games - even tennis matches! He cared about every other player on every other team as much as he did his own daughters and grandsons, smiling and cheering and encouraging every girl and boy in a game. When Bill became the "official" announcer of Deer Park Little League games, the boys learned about sportsmanship when he commented on good plays and good hits by either team. The boys learned the term "runners on the corners" and must have thought they heard the voice of God Himself coming out of those speakers. If you met Bill Stringer, you never forgot that deep, booming voice. Bill was proud of each grandson for their own uniqueness and made sure they all knew their Pop-pa loved them very much. He was extremely proud of his oldest grandson Drew for serving his country as an Airborne Soldier. There was a lot of teasing and one-upmanship between the Marine and the Army kid. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the local food pantry, Bill's favorite charity. Donations may be sent to Interfaith Helping Hands C/O Brian Berry, 902 Patricia, Deer Park, Texas 77536 in honor of Bill Stringer. A Service was held 11:00 AM Saturday in the Chapel of Deer Park Funeral Directors, 336 E San Augustine in Deer Park. Bill's remains will then be scattered along "the river bottom" in Bazzette, Texas at a later time. Semper Fi, Marine. Job well done. You were loved and you will be missed