Willard Parker Worley

Willard Parker Worley died peacefully in Austin, March 29, 2012. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 3, 2012, at Callaway-Jones Funeral Home in Bryan. A memorial service is set for 2 p.m., Wednesday April 4 at Callaway-Jones Funeral Home. A private burial will take place at College Station Cemetery.
He was born October 18, 1921 in Dallas, the son of W.P. Worley Sr. and Eleanor Rowe. He was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and Texas A&M where he majored in Electrical Engineering and was the Captain of the Signal Corps. He was in the class of ’43, but graduated in 1947 after service in WW II.
While in the Army, Will met and married Mary C (Kitty) Boyce, a graduate of the University of Delaware. Meeting Kitty was his favorite war time story . In Arlington, Virginia, he served as an Army Security Cryptographic Officer. After the war and graduation from A&M, he worked for Graybar Electric Company designing and selling Telephone Systems equipment and setting up Rural Electric Companies in East Texas and Southern Louisiana. He accepted a position on the EE faculty in 1956, teaching EE in Bolton Hall–Circuits and Electrical Machinery, Engineering Economy, and advising engineering students on their degree programs. Every summer, without fail, Will would drive his family up to Rehoboth Beach Delaware to visit Kitty’s relatives.
Will had a lap swimming passion beginning at Pinky Downs Natatorium, and continued at Aerofit Sports Club. He started a BCS Masters Swimming club in College Station and attended meets in Texas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Florida. He ran 5K’s and 10K’s and a half marathon at White Rock Lake in Dallas. In 1982 he carried a torch in the cross country Olympics Relay. He finished a triathlon at age 64 before he tore his Achilles and had heart bypass surgery. His heart surgery led him to create the BCS Mended Hearts Club,. For decades Kitty and Will visited heart patients at St Josephs. Will received the Girl Scout “Thanks Award” in 1971 for work at Camp Howdy. He was active at A&M Presbyterian Church, later Covenant Presbyterian Church, for 5 decades.
Local theater was a great joy for Will. From 1966-1998 he worked in productions at Stage Center. Roles he acted included Ebenezer Scrooge, Colonel JC Kincaid Texas Trilogy, and Norman Thayer Jr. in On Golden Pond. He won the awards for Best Set and Best Performance for many roles. He was a patron of Theater Company, OPAS, Brazos Valley Symphony, BV Chorale, Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas at St Michaels Academy, Friends of Chamber music and The George Bush Library Music ensembles. For several years Will coordinated a symphony program that bused school children to Rudder Theater. Kitty and Willard were honored with the Andy Anderson Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award in 1995.
During his teaching career, Will received an Outstanding Faculty Award from Student Engineers and a Faculty Distinguished Achievement award. He retired in 1988, after teaching Electrical Engineering 32 years. He was active in Kiwanis Club and hosted Class of ’43 parties for the Sul Ross Reunions. Even though his legs failed him the last few years of his life he still had a positive spirit. Kitty and Will enjoyed traveling the globe, including 23 Elderhostel’s, annual trips to Chautauqua in New York, Florida, Arizona. They traveled to Japan, Israel, Scandinavian capitals, Alaska, England, as well as several trips to Europe and South America and Caribbean cruises. Every summer the whole family gathered at Mo Ranch on the Guadalupe River for our annual family reunion.
Will was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Kitty, sisters Mary Lee Brimelow and Joycelin Doss, and grandchild Adria Copeland. He is survived by 4 children Eleanor, Fred, Evalyn and Barbara, 9 grandchildren, and 9 great grand children. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the Willard P. Worley Endowed Fellowship, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3128. We wish to thank the staff at Arden Courts and Heartland Health Care Center in Austin , and Visiting Angels for their assistance in maintaining our father’s positive spirit. His favorite expression was “Aren’t we lucky!”

Condolences

  1. Will was such a loving, funny, delightful man; he will be sorely missed. What a wonderful person he was. Our condolences to his family.

  2. What wonderful memories we have of you and Mrs. Worley when we were kids growing up in College Station! We’re blessed to have known y’all. God speed, Mr. Worley, and we’ll see you and Mrs. Worley on the other side.

  3. What a wonderful man and family. Glad to be a part of it. He will have such a joyous reunion with Kitty, his sister’s and Robert!
    Love you all
    Debbie

  4. He was a wonderful educator and adviser. Though he was never my “official” adviser he helped me with scheduling my classes throughout my years at A&M. He will be missed.

  5. Dear Fred & Barbara,it is always difficult when a loved one dies. Some 35 years ago, my father died and I received a card from a church member which meant a lot to us. I’d like to share it with you: “To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.”
    In Christ’s love

  6. My thoughts are with your family. My late wife, Becky, was a fellow 5AM swimmer at Aerofit for years. Our children, Christopher and Laura, also benefitted from summer Spanish lessons with “Señora Kitty.” We were blessed to know your parents.

  7. To express our deep sympathy to you on your loss. We thank professor Worley for serving our country in the U.S. Army during WW II. You were a member of “the greatest generation”. We also thank you for your contribution to the Texas A&M Electrical Engineering Department & the Bryan/College Station area. May God’s Speed Be With This Soldier & His Family.
    cjo

  8. Will and I were classmates at TAMC – Class or 1943. After moving back to College Station in the 1980’s, my wife and I became reunited with Will and Kitty through the local chapter of Mended Hearts. We were both organizing charter members and long-time accredited visitors where we shared many wonderful experiences together. What a joy they were just to be around with their positive and enthusiastic approach to every opportunity to minister to others. I lost my wife Tillie last October, so can relate to some extent the grief you are experiencing. My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

  9. Our condolences to the family of Willard Parker Worley on his recent passing. We have also just learned of the passing of his wife Mary C. “Kitty” Worley in 2007.

    Informaiton released this week on the 1940 census indicates that her father may have been Frederick Joseph Boyce. If this is the case we are family as we are descended from James Edgar Boyce, brother to Frederick.

    Jim Boyce
    jboyce@comcast.net

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