William "Bill" Howard Casparis, aged 85 years old, went to His Lord and Savior on December 2 ^nd , 2016, in his hometown of Johnson City, Texas. He was born to Howard Milton Casparis and Regina (nee Smith) Casparis.

Bill was a proud Hill Country boy and throughout his life he always spoke of his love for "the country." He was a member of the 1947 Johnson City High School Eagles who won the Class B State High School Basketball Championship. He was proud of his service in Ohio in the U. S. Army during the Korean War. Due to his dedication and abilities he was quickly promoted to Staff Sergeant but he always felt that those who served overseas or in battle deserved the utmost respect. He loved his country, flew the flag, voted, and instilled this love for the United States of America in his children.

He was a hard-worker and was successful at every job he had and the businesses he and Theresa built together. The owner of the JC Hardware store gave him his first job after the Army, for which he was always very grateful. After he and Theresa married in Fredericksburg on June 21, 1953, they moved to Austin, and lived in a garage apartment in the Hyde Park neighborhood. He soon got a job with Wesley-Pearson, an auto supply store on Burnet Rd., and in 1956, they bought a house on Brentwood St. where the family lived for over twenty years. He was the Auto Department manager at Spartan's on Airport Blvd. and later operated 3 different Texaco service-station franchises. After the kids were grown, he and Theresa briefly ran the Rod & Reel Motel in Rockport, and then later moved with Theresa's sister and brother-in-law (Judy and George Schoenfeld) to San Antonio to run a very successful real estate make-ready construction crew for Theresa's brother, Ron Cravens, and his wife Sharon. They eventually moved back to Johnson City, lived on the Pedernales River at "El Regalo" that was bequeathed to him by his aunt "Hattie" (Casparis) Sharp.  They opened the Waterhole Saloon, and then later founded the Times Ago Collections antique store that was enjoyed by the whole family. For this, they traveled the country on "pickin" road trips. Mom and Dad retired to a beautiful home in San Marcos and lived there until they both could no longer take care of each other.

Melia remembers that Dad was a people person and would probably run into someone he knew or a "cousin" anywhere he or the family all went – and he usually did! She is grateful to Dad for all of the places he took the family; from the Piney Woods of East Texas, to the arid landscape of West Texas and the Rio Grande River, New Mexico, the Mountains of Colorado, the Texas Gulf Coast, the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo and many State Parks and campsites all over Texas. Dad showed his kids a lot of interesting experiences along the way. He once saved Melia from drowning at Camp Leisure! He also saved all of his children when the canoe they were in tipped over at Garner State Park. Dad told us later that he had been terrified we kids would all drown, but when we got back to camp, he hung all the bills out of his wallet to dry on a line, making light of the calamity! He had a wry sense of humor and would much rather say something sly and funny and make people laugh, than dwell on anything serious. He was fond of his self-created malapropisms!

Some of the things Kelly admires about Dad were that he was the proverbial "Jack of all trades". He would work on anything and could fix just about anything from plumbing to electrical, automotive, carpentry, painting, glazing, masonry, HVAC and everything in between. He did not scare or get intimidated easily by mechanical problems. If something needed repair, he was your man and he would not hesitate to help anyone who was in need. He might call on a friend for anything that was outside of his scope of knowledge but almost never called on an actual repairman to do the job. He also thought Dad was very witty and smart as a whip. He didn't have a formal education past high school but was an avid reader and could hold his own in most discussions. He was never afraid to argue his point when he knew he was right.

Terry is grateful to Dad for helping him pay his way through college and for sharing the pride in being a Longhorn – Hook'em Dad! He is also grateful for outdoor experiences including the time they were running a trot-line on the Pedernales in the middle of the night from a rubber raft (named the Melia B). As they pulled up the line there was a large water moccasin wrapped around a catfish. Much jerking and dodging ensued and the raft took on several gallons of river water.  Fortunately, dad quickly cut the line with his buck-knife and they both lived to tell the tale.

We are all grateful and proud of our Dad and Mom for their marriage of 63 years. Their love and devotion carried them through the tough times and brightened the good.

The family wishes to thank all of our family members, friends, and health professionals for their support, help, thoughts and prayers, offered recently and in years past.

We will miss you Daddy. You are dancing with Mom again. We love you and we wish you peace. Go with your God into the light.

Bill is predeceased by his parents. He was the brother of Kathleen Norris (d.), John Christian ("Jake"/"J. C.") Casparis (d.), Lee B. Casparis (d.), Raymond Casparis (d.), James Rankin Casparis and a sister who died in infancy. He is predeceased by his beloved wife, Theresa Ann (nee Cravens) Casparis (d. Aug. 14, 2016) and survived by his son, Terry Ross Casparis (wife Joyce Humble); his daughter, Melia Beth O'Dell; and son, Kelly Howard Casparis (wife Cindy, and her mother Lucy). He adored and was very proud of his grandchildren, Trenton ("Trent") Casparis (wife Devin), Lindsey Ferguson (husband Levi), Ian Graham, Amber Johnson (husband Carl), Kellen Casparis, William "Will" O'Dell and Caleb Casparis. He also loved all of his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was very fond of special family friends, Buddy (d.) and Alma Turner and their children.

A celebration of Bill's life will take place on Monday, December 12, at 10 a.m. at the Crofts-Crow Funeral Home in Johnson City, TX. A military interment will follow at the Masonic Cemetery.  A reception will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Johnson City. A memorial guest book will be available soon at Crofts-Crow Funeral Home ( http://www.crofts-crowfuneralhome.com/ ).

Memorial donations may be made to:
The Johnson City Ministerial Alliance
P. O. Box 1256
Johnson City, TX 78636