William Ligon

William “Grady” Ligon III On Tuesday, October 12th, William “Grady” Ligon III officially moved to his heavenly home after a long and courageous battle with cancer. After being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2001, the Lord blessed him with the ability to work, travel, and spend time with friends and family over the last three years. It was his unbeatable spirit and rich faith that allowed him to persevere and persist through two major surgeries and multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Born on October 15th, 1944 to Helen Hailey Ligon and William Grady Ligon Jr. Grady graduated from Rosebud-Lott High school in 1963 and went on to attend Baylor University. He began working for Southwestern Bell in the summer of 1966 prior to graduation from Baylor in 1967. He worked in the telephone industry for 38 years serving consecutively at Southwestern Bell, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Avaya Communications. For the past four years, he has served as Labor Relations Director for Avaya representing the company in all company labor negotiations. Grady was a loving, devoted, faithful husband and is survived by his loving wife Diane who has shared her life with him for the past 38 years. He is also survived by his three sons and their families - Grady and his wife Dawn of Houston and their daughter Caroline, Greg and his wife Rachel of Wichita Falls and their children Tanner and Libbie, and Grant of New York City. His family, but especially his grandchildren were the joy of his life and would bring a smile to his face even on the most challenging of days. Family time at the lake became a favorite retreat and a true gift from God. Other family members include his mother-in-law, Neva Herring of Waco, his brother-in-law Don Herring and his wife Barbara of Austin along with his cousins Gene, and Chester Springfield and Martha Ann Curtis. Grady was an active deacon at Hyde Park Baptist Church, where he and Diane served together in the Young Married Adult Department. His deep faith and commitment to God and His Word guided every aspect of his life. He loved his Sunday afternoon golf outings with his church friends. At work, Grady was always characterized by his constantly steady judgment, his strong work ethic, and his selfless, patient character. He was always happy to let others shine even when he did the work. His tireless dedication to excellence was always an example to others. The family would like to thank the many friends and family who have shared their kindness, cards, food, and condolences. The family would also like to thank the staffs of Texas Oncology Associates here in Austin, specifically Dr. Sandbach, Lisa, and Krisha, M.D. Anderson Medical Center in Houston, specifically Dr. Lin, Sarah, and Alicia, as well as Christopher House Hospice Center for their loving, gentle care. Each of you was an angel to he and his family. Family visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00pm Wednesday at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home. Private graveside services will be held at Austin Memorial Park. Funeral services will be held at 11am on Thursday at Hyde Park Baptist Church Chapel at 3901 Speedway. Honorary Pallbearers will be John Boyd, Bill Dudley, Joe Hayman, Don Herring, Gary Lemmond, Demetrius Loukas, Walt Mizell, Shack Nail, Carlton Newman, Gene Springfield, and Chester Springfield. Any benevolent donations can be made to Hyde Park Baptist Church, The American Cancer Society, or M.D. Anderson Medical Center. Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78705 – (512) 452-8811 You may view memorials online at wcfish.com