William Roy Adams Jr.

William Roy Adams Jr., 88, died Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012, at the Willard Walker Hospice Home in Fayetteville. He was born Jan. 4, 1924, in Jena, La., to William Roy and Mildred Saunders Adams. After graduating from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in business administration, Roy served proudly in the U.S. Navy as a Helldiver pilot during World War II. Lieutenant JG Adams left active duty in 1946, though he remained in the Naval Reserves until 1960. He went to work as an accountant for the Gulf Oil Corporation in San Tome, Venezuela, in 1947, and stayed with the company until 1982. He retired as a senior officer of the corporation, after serving in posts around the country and around the world, including New York, Rome, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, London, Houston and Bermuda. His companion through all the transfers was Charlsie Maxine Rhodes of Waco Texas, his wife of nearly 64 years and the love of his life. She survives him, as do their two children, Charles and his wife, Rhonda, of Fayetteville, Ark., and Catherine and her husband, Peter Barton Hutt, of Aubrey, Texas, and Alexandria, Va.; two granddaughters, Amanda Scarlett and Allison Henson, both of Nashville, Tenn.; and a great-grandson, Sullivan Henson. He is also survived by his brother, James Adams of Greenville Texas, and his family. After retirement from Gulf, Roy became a lay leader in the Oak Lawn Methodist Church in Dallas, where for years, he taught Sunday school classes in which he could explore with friends his lifelong interest in Christian faith and philosophy. He was also active for many years in the Sons of the American Revolution, ultimately serving a term as president of the Texas Society of the SAR. Visitation will be at the Connally-Compton Funeral Home in Waco, Texas, at 9 a.m. on Aug. 23. Funeral services with military honors will be at 10 a.m. on the same day at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco. The family asks memorial contributions be made to the William Roy Jr. and Maxine Adams Scholarship Fund for Academic Excellence at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La.