Verna Ruth SPELCE

Billie Ray
1927-2018

Mason
Please see military marker

Verna Ruth
1943-2004

Together Forever
Married 9-30-1983

Please see closeup view

Photo/information, courtesy of Edith Guynes Stanley

*Obituary Bilie Ray
Billie "Bill" Spelce
April 15, 1927 - May 17, 2018

Borger – Services for Billie Ray Spelce, 91, of Borger will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday May 22, 2018 at Brown’s Funeral Home in Borger, Texas with Rev. Conny Moore from Bunavista Baptist Church officiating.

Billie Ray Spelce died peacefully on Thursday May 17, 2018. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He loved the Lord, served faithfully, and cared for his family & friends deeply.

He was born on April 15, 1927 at the Spelce family farm just outside of Durant, Oklahoma with his brother, J.C., and extended family. They lived on the farm, which meant his father gave him daily chores starting before sunrise of milking, cleaning stalls, and tending to the chickens. During school, Bill was an avid sportsman playing baseball and basketball in high school. His love for sports continued his whole life and his closest friends later in life probably heard him complain about how basketball players now “travel” when going to the hoop and spent a few Astros games with J-J. After graduating from Utica High School, Bill joined the U.S. Army in 1945, served for several years in World War II. As with most survivors, he didn’t speak much about his service. When he did it was about his horrible sea sickness traveling over the Atlantic or of his feelings while sketching for the Stars & Stripes newspaper at the Nuremberg Trials.

Post service, he left the Durant, Oklahoma area to follow work and some of his family into the booming oil town of Borger, Texas. Bill found work at Phillips 66 Refinery that turned into a career of drafting, safety, and supervision. He met his first wife Wanda L. Taylor in the Pampa, Texas area and was married on May 13, 1951. His first daughter, Sabrina Lee Spelce, from this marriage was born in April 19, 1960. This marriage dissolved in 1983. Shortly thereafter he met Verna Ruth Wilson of Borger, Texas and was married to her on September 30, 1983.

Bill and Verna established their home in Borger where they lived for many happy years. They adopted one daughter, Jennifer Jay Bill Spelce, whom they loved deeply and provided a happy home. He was very active in all of Jennifer’s activities growing up; taking her to clogging practice each week, to dance practice, to tennis tournaments, and to Branson Missouri where she competed regularly for national clogging competitions.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Borger, Texas where he served the Lord faithfully for many years. In 1957, he joined the Adobe Walls Masonic Lodge #1355 in Borger, where he continued his faithful service to his community and to the Lord. He celebrated 60 years of service at Unity Masonic Lodge #1242 earlier this year. He was past Master of the Lodge and District Deputy Grand Master of Masonic District #102 in 2009, a 32 degree Scottish Mason and served as secretary and steward (cook) for many years. In his later years, he loved to spend time at breakfast with his “ol man” friends sitting around solving the world’s problems over a cup of black coffee and bacon and eggs.

Bill was a modern-day renaissance man. He loved the arts, music, nature, drafting, woodworking and cooking. He regularly journaled his daily activities in his sketch books, talking briefly about what he had seen or accomplished, followed by a sketch. His work ranged from drawings in the Army newspaper, to comics, birds, self-portraits, and portraits of his family. His self-taught calligraphy hand writing was from a different era, beautiful in shape, swirl, and penmanship. If you were invited to Jennifer’s wedding, you were a lucky recipient of this gift. His talents abound and didn’t stop with the arts. He handmade over seven different banjos and loved playing them all alongside his favorite musicians. He even found time to master cooking for the family; was known to sew a dance costume or two for Jennifer; all while standing in his favorite mountain stream fly fishing with his bamboo pole. Did we mention that he obtained his concealed hand gun license in his 80’s just because he wanted to?

Bill (aka “PaPa”) enjoyed his two grandgirls; taking trips to Colorado Springs, Ft. Worth, and Houston with them. But I think one of the fondest memories with the grandgirls was teaching them how to fish on Lake Meredith. They caught their first fish with him by their side.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Julius Clarence “Dick” Spelce (August 16, 1978) and Eula Bramalett Rigdon (October 20, 1997); and his wife, Verna Ruth Wilson (December 16, 2004).

Survivors include his daughter, Jennifer Jay Bill Spelce Thompson and her husband Matthew as well as their daughters Emma and Olivia of Pearland, Texas; his brother J.C. Spelce Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia, his niece Karla Thompson, her husband Donny and son Logan all from Atlanta, Georgia.

He is also survived by daughter, Sabrina Pope of Sugarland, Texas, her son Ryan Helfenbein and daughter Hayley Helfenbein, and three great-grandchildren.

The family would also like to thank his good friends D.C. & Tina Taylor. Words cannot describe the value of your friendship with Bill. You cared for him and included him in family activities as if he was your own. You have embodied 1 Peter 4:10 with your love and generosity.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers that memorials to be given to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, Texas 75219.

Bill will lie in state at Brown's Chapel of the Fountains on Sunday from 1:00-6:00 and on Monday from 8:00 am- 8:00 pm. The family will welcome friends from 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm on Monday at Brown's.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Brown’s Funeral Directors of Borger.

(Published by Brown Funeral Directors, Thursday, May 17, 2018)

*Obituary Verna
Borger News Herald - December 20, 2004

Verna Ruth Spelce, 61, died Thursday, Dec. 16, at Baptist/St. Anthony Hospice in Amarillo.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at First Christian Church with Rev. Michael Arndt officiating. Burial will be in Highland Park Cemetery entrusted to Brown Funeral Directors of Borger.

Mrs. Spelce was born May 10, 1943, to Vernon and Nadine Wilson of Borger and was a Borger resident. She graduated from Borger High School in 1961. She graduated from West Texas University with a degree in secondary education with an English major, and graduated from North Texas University in Denton with a Masters degree in English literature. She was a secretary for Phillips Petroleum Co. for 25 years and was a member of First Baptist Church, Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and the Collectors Club. She married Billie Ray Spelce on Sept. 30, 1983, in Clovis, N.M.

She is survived by her spouse, Billie Ray Spelce of Borger; a daughter, Jennifer Jay Bill Spelce Thompson and husband Matt of Houston; a brother, Jerry Wilson of Desoto; a sister, Janine Park of Amarillo; nieces, Lisa Reneé Wilson of Chicago, Ill.; Lezli Janine Thompson of Hereford and Karla Spelce Thompson of Atlanta, Ga.; and nephews, Chad Simpson of Amarillo and Doug Wilson of Dallas.

Casket bearers will be Joe Janeway, John Taylor, Jeff Babiash, Bruce Abbe, Allen Brain, and Dave Brandon. Honorary casket bearers will be Karyn Richards, Tina Taylor, and Patsy Hubbard.
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Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997
Name: Verna Ruth Wilson
Date of Birth: 10 May 1943
Gender: Female
Birth County: Hutchinson
Father's Name: Vernon Lester Wilson
Mother's name: Nadine Reeves
Roll number: 1943_0012

Contributed on 8/31/21

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Record #: 453145

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