William B. Cromer, Jr. passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 19, 2017. Funeral Service: 12pm Friday at Emerald Hills Funeral Home. {{more:Read more …}}
Interment at Emerald Hills Memorial Park. Visitation 6:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Emerald Hills Funeral Home. The family invites all friends to join them for a light lunch after the service in the chapel.
Bill was born on July 31, 1933. He was a lifelong resident of Kennedale and his dedication to the community made it a better place to live. Bill honorably served in the U. S. Army from 1953 through 1955. Upon returning home he earned an associate?s degree in engineering from now the University of Texas at Arlington. He worked for Lockheed Martin thirty five plus years in the Facilities Engineering Department and retired in 1999. He loved his job and the people he worked with. Most importantly, throughout his career, Bill made many close friends whose relationships he maintained throughout his life.
Kennedale, Texas was always his home, and Bill served his community and his friends in many ways. He was one of the early members of the Kennedale Volunteer Fire Department. He told the story that they even let him drive the engine back to the firehouse before he had a driver?s license. He was just that dependable. He always had a love for cars and anything mechanical, and he even did some dirt track racing in his youth. Bill was active as a Boy Scout Leader for years. He served on the City?s Planning and Zoning Commission and volunteered on the Kennedale School Reunion Committee. He still had his Senior Class picture, and there were eleven in his class of 1950.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents William Cromer, Sr. and Ethel Cromer, his loving wife Frances Mae Cromer and a great grandson, Justin Michael.He is survived by his daughter Julie Cromer, his stepsons Gary Carroll and wife Janice, Mike Carroll and wife Jackie, and Rick Carroll and wife Debbie. He will be missed by his grandchildren who appreciated that he was a master craftsman who created gifts of love for each to treasure: Dr. Chris Murphy, Rachel Walters, Cristi Nichols, Wendy Carroll, Rebecca Tontz, and Jason Tull. Their families and the great grandchildren; Monte, Colton, Caleb, Courtney, Hannah, Celsey, Savannah, Jaycob, and Gavin will also miss those gifts of love. He is also survived by a very special friend, Wanda Sanford.
The family would like to thank Delia Strole, the caregiver and the listener, as he told his many stories of his life adventures and all of the people he cared for along the way.
