Billy Dan Wiseman

FUNERAL: 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018, at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home. Visitation: The family will receive guests from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, at the funeral home.

MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church of Hurst.

Bill was born July 17, 1930, to Don Houston and Lillian Spears Wiseman in Fort Worth, Texas.He joined the Navy when he was 18 years old, serving from 1948-1968. He loved the Navy and was proud of his service.

Bill was one of 5 children, John, Leon, Jenelle, Bill, and Gorman. He grew up in Smithfield Texas (now part of North Richland Hills) where he attended Birdville High School and the Smithfield Methodist church. Early on, he developed an interest in photography and aerospace. These interests turned into both a career and hobbies for all of his life – spending 21 years in the Navy as a photographer and building and flying model airplanes from the get go.

Bill would often introduce himself by saying “ Nice to meet you, my name is Bill, just plain ole Bill.” Well, he may have considered himself plain, but he was anything but.

He probably would never describe himself as an artist, but he spent most of his adult life creating art. He photographed distant lands and made beautiful images during his time in the Navy. After retiring from the Navy, Bill continued to enjoy photography and model airplane building until his hands became too shaky. He also was a master woodworker - crafting intricate pieces of art out of wood and mastering fretwork clock making. Anyone who sees the clocks he made would agree that they are beautiful pieces of art.

He probably wouldn't have told you that he was a scholar either, but he was. He never stopped learning in his 87 years. Not even a month ago, he was troubleshooting an issue with Photoshop. For those of you who don't know, Photoshop isn't for everyone. It's an incredibly complex program that many people half Bill's age won't even attempt to learn, but Bill wasn't afraid to learn new things. After leaving the Navy, Bill, Ann and their three sons - Joseph, Dan, and Mike settled in the HEB area where he went to work for Kodak, fixing cameras and later worked at Boeing as an electronic technician. He had an engineer's mind and loved to figure things out.

He also would probably deny that he was a hero, but he was to so many of those sitting here today. He served his country for 21 years. He was an adventurer - traveling the world with his family, hiking Mt. Fuji, and driving all over America - including a trek from Texas to Alaska.

He was also a hero to his family in ways that aren't always described as heroic, but most certainly are. Bill served God faithfully. He and Ann attended Saint Paul's Methodist Church for over 20 years where they were active in the church’s Need program - filling grocery orders for delivery to those who could not get out of their homes. Before joining St. Paul's he attended the Smithfield Methodist Church. He and Ann have shown their family what true love looks like. Bill met the love of his life, Anna May Springfield, during his first years of his Naval career. His close friend Tommy Hayes gave Bill the name and address of a young yankee gal in Upper Darby Pennsylvania who had expressed interest in being pen pals. After a few months of writing back and forth, they met in Pennsylvania while Dad was stationed on a ship in Norfork, Virginia. They fell in love and married on the 2nd of September 1950. They remained married the rest of his life - celebrating their 67th anniversary in September. They spent the last 8 months at the Waterview Independent Living apartments overlooking Lake Granbury where Bill and Ann enjoyed their evening walks around the lake.

Bill was a humble, loving man who deeply cared for his family, and even though he may have thought he was "plain ole Bill," he had a pretty extraordinary life

SURVIVORS: He is survived by his wife, Anna May; brother, Gormon and sister-in-law, Peggy; sons, Dan and Mike; daughters-in-law, D'Ann and Sylvia; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

If you wish to send floral condolences in honor of Billy Dan Wiseman, you may call Dr. Delphinium Designs and Events, 214-525-1284.