William E. Isbell

William Ernest Isbell November 28, 1909 � May 2, 2010 William Ernest Isbell, age 100, passed away in Pasadena, Texas, on May 2, 2010. Services will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 8, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Chapel. Burial will follow at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation will be 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, prior to the service. Bill was born in McLennan County near Robinson, TX, on November 28, 1909. He lived most of his life in Central Texas, although his family moved around the state while he was in his youth. He graduated from Sherman TX High School in 1927. After graduating, he worked on a farm in Hill County near Malone to save money to attend University of Texas in Austin where he studied physics. He finished one year of college before he joined the US Army in the early 1930s. After serving in the Army, Bill resumed his farming career in Hill County. He was a creative person with a lot of ingenuity. He built a tractor using parts from an old Buick truck long before tractors were popular. On February 7, 1935, Bill married Nell Laurence, the love of his life, in Hillsboro, TX. They had to wait for a rainy day to get married, so it wouldn�t interfere with the farm work. After a couple of years, he moved to Houston and later to Lafayette, Louisiana, before joining International Business Machines IBM in 1942. Bill went to an IBM school in New York and worked a short time in Fort Worth before he was transferred to Waco. He was the Field Engineering Service Manager for a number of years and later became the Waco Office Manager. He retired from IBM in 1971 after nearly 30 years of service. Bill was active in the church. He was a founding member of the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco and later served as an Elder for many years. He is preceded in death by his wife of over 50 years, Nell Laurence Isbell; parents, William H. and Minerva Griffin Isbell; brothers, Herbert E. and John W. Isbell; and sisters, Gertrude Bevers, Virgie Smith, and Ruthie Isbell. He is survived by his sister, Jackie Walker, and sister-in-law, Odessa Isbell; by two daughters, Susan Stewart and husband, Wallace, and Linda Shafer and husband, Donald; by six grandchildren, Lisa Taylor, Lori Brock and husband, James, William Stewart and wife, Amy, Jason Brice, Leslie Brice, and Bree Shafer; and eight great-grandchildren, Sarah and James Brock, William and Abbey Stewart, Jaxon and Winston Brice, and Jourdan and Emilie Gonzales. Pallbearers are Jason Brice, Jim Brock, Jay Brock, Don Shafer, Bill Stewart, Wallace Stewart, Will Stewart and Gary Walker. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you send a memorial to Crestview Church of Christ, 7129 Delhi Road, Waco, TX 76710 or the charity of your choice. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our �Memorial Guest book� at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com.