William A. Stephenson (Bill), of Dickinson, TX, went to be with his Lord and Savior on September 4, 2023 which was his 81st birthday. He was surrounded by his loving family who got to sing him into heaven with one of his favorite hymns, In the Garden.

Bill was born on September 4, 1942 in Dothan, Alabama to Arlis and Annie Will Stephenson.  During his childhood he and his wonderful sister & best friend, Betty Ann, lived in many different places. They settled in Crestfiew, FL in their teenage years and graduated from Crestview High. He accepted Jesus and was baptized as a child at Immanuel Baptist Church in Panama City, Florida.

Bill attended Auburn University and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration while working on the Cooperative Education Program. Bill worked at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 37 years from 1962 to 1999.  At the age of 27, Bill became the youngest Finance & Accounting Officer in the history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was quickly promoted to Comptroller.

Bill was married to Patricia Stephenson from 1969 – 1995 and had three beautiful children- Stephanie, William and Sarah. They lived in Fort Worth TX, Prairie Village and Overland Park KS, Palo Alto CA & Galveston TX. They enjoyed fishing, snow skiing, playing tennis, chess and bridge.

In 1999 Bill married Phyllis (P.J.) Stephenson and gained 3 awesome step-sons- Ronald, Rodney & Destin.

Bill attended First Baptist Church in Galveston, where he was a Deacon and worked in several leadership roles over the years. He was one of the Charter Members of Immanuel Baptist Church where he attended until he and his wife, P.J. moved to Dickinson in 2006.

Bill and P.J. lived in Galveston and loved to travel over the years to Disney in Florida and California, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Tennessee, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, New York and the eastern and western Caribbean. Bill went to Colorado many times where he loved to snow ski. He loved driving through NASA and counting the deer. He once consumed FIVE scoops of ice cream during an annual trip to the BlueBell factory one Spring!

He loved visiting San Antonio around Thanksgiving and watching them turn the lights on on the river. He thoroughly enjoyed Utterly Deadly Pecan Pie (which Sarah loved making for him) and rumor has it he and P.J. once dug into one with their bare hands when they didn’t have any utensils! It’s a Small World at Disney was one of his favorite things to do around Christmas.

Bill absolutely loved Gringos and a good margarita and his family enjoyed celebrating many birthdays with him there.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Arlis and Annie Will and grandparents, Luther and Lillie Pearl Stephenson and Curtis and Evelyn Kingry.

He leaves behind to cherish a lifetime of memories, his loving wife, Phyllis (P.J.) Stephenson; sister, Betty Ann Jordan and husband, Larry; daughter, Stephanie Stephenson Freund and husband, Grant and their children, Elli, Benjamin, Savannah and Luke; son, William C. Stephenson and wife, Michelle and children, Chloe, Cadence and Charlotte; daughter, Sarah Stephenson Castaneda and husband, Steven and their children, Sawyer, Shepherd and Simon; step-children, Ronald Low and wife, Sheri and their children; Ryan Low and wife, Courtney and their children, Kyla, Ryla and Lorelai; Brandi Low Ridge and husband Derek and children, Wyatt and Reagan; Rodney Low and wife, Sandra and daughter, Jennifer Low and grandson, Jonah and Destin Sims and wife Concetta and children, Carson and Leiv, Precely and Olivia and many nieces and nephews.

Bill was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was a faithful servant to his Father in heaven, till his very last breath on earth. He will be deeply missed by so many.

There will be a visitation on Sunday, September 17, 2023 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at Crowder Funeral Home in Dickinson, Texas. A memorial service will follow immediately after the visitation. In lieu of flowers, please make your contribution to your favorite charity.