Cover photo for William Riley Willey III's Obituary
William Riley Willey III Profile Photo
1930 William 2018

William Riley Willey III

July 11, 1930 — December 23, 2018

Funeral Services for William Riley Willey, III, of Frisco, Texas, formerly of Mountain Home, AR, will be 2:00 pm, Saturday, December 29, 2018, at Kirby & Family Funeral Home Chapel, with Reverend Max Pyron officiating.

Riley passed away December 23, 2018, in Frisco, Texas at the age of 88. He was born July 11, 1930, in Chandler, OK, the son of William and Reba Lower Willey. As a young child his family lived in Chandler, OK, Lawton, OK and Mineral Wells, TX. He graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1948. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Journalism and minor in Mathematics in 1951 and a Master of Science degree in Mathematics in 1967 at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX. He met Juanita Lyane Overall while in college and they were married June 1, 1950 at the Little Chapel-in-the-Woods on the Texas Women's College Campus in Denton, TX. They made their home in Denton, TX until 1996 when they moved to Mountain Home, AR, except for three years when they lived in Amarillo, TX.

He was retired and had formerly been in the printing industry and a university professor. He had worked in print shops in Mineral Wells and Weatherford, TX, Co-owner of Shepherd Printing in Amarillo, the Assistant Director of University of North Texas Press in Denton, TX and owner of Penny Press, Inc., with print shops in Denton, Forth Worth and Arlington, TX. Riley joined the faculty at Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth in 1967. He remained there teaching various disciplines of mathematics until 1988, when he retired from teaching after 21 years. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Mountain Home, AR and active member of the Adam and Eve Sunday School Class. He had also been a member of Printing Industries of American and served as President of the Fort Worth, TX Chapter and State of Texas director and board member from 1990-1991. He served as Texas Wesleyan AAUP president in 1978-79. He was a life member of the Mathematical Association of America and a life member of the North Texas Exes Association.

He enjoyed telling jokes, laughing and working on various wood working projects. He and his wife enjoyed traveling.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Juanita Lyane Willey of Frisco, Texas: one son, William Riley Willey, IV and his wife Susan Marie Willey of Garland, Texas: two granddaughters Stephanie Marie Willey Denton and husband Jonathan of Frisco, Texas, and Amy Michelle Willey of Frisco, Texas: two great-grandsons, Blake and Brandon Denton, of Frisio, Texas; one half sister, Carmen Estelle Johnson Clayton of Mineral Wells, Texas: aunt, Eula Wordon Arnaud and husband, Garland of Oregon: nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends. He was preceded in death by his mother and father and his half brother, James Thomas Johnson.

Entombment will be in the Kirby's Tucker Memorial Cemetery Mausoleum, Mountain Home, Arkansas.

Memorials may be made to the Research Foundations of the American Cancer Society or Parkinson's .

Arrangements are by Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services - Mountain Home, Arkansas.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William Riley Willey III, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Funeral Service

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Starts at 2:00 pm (Central time)

Kirby & Family Funeral Home Chapel

600 Hospital Drive, Mountain Home, AR 72653

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