Billy Fay (Colesworthy) Meek

Billy Fay Colesworthy Meek, 96, took a boat charter to Heaven Oct. 18 to be with her Lord and Savior and to fish and play cards with loved ones. “Grandma” was born August 13, 1927, in San Antonio, Texas where she grew up during the Depression and WWII. She was in the high school band and finished school early to go to work to help support her parents during the war. She met her “co-pilot” for 62 years, Donald while he was stationed in San Antonio and married in 1944. She and Don lived throughout the country during their time in the USAF. Billy always made sure that her boys education came first, as well as church on Sunday.

Billy and Don retired from the USAF in 1965 and moved to Rockport in 1965 along with three horses and a dog after serving 22 years in the military. An avid fisherman, Rockport was where she had learned to fish as a child with her father and she continued that passion, passing it down to her children and grandchildren. She sang in the church choir for over twenty years and taught Sunday school. Grandma made all the holidays special and memorable at the “Rock House” in Rockport. The ceviche was always ready by kick-off of college and pro games, and she and Grandad loved to take her grandchildren “frogging”, on trips to the zoo, and crabbing and fishing from their houseboat.

In 2002 she and Don moved to New Braunfels and became active in church, the highway visitor center, keeping up with now great-grandchildren, and their daily breakfast outings to area restaurants, where they met new friends. Once Don passed away in 2006, Billy didn’t miss a beat and became even more active with church activities, neighborhood functions, traveling, shopping, and never forgetting to mail a birthday card to all of her growing family. She learned how to use technology, having an iPhone, laptop, and iPad. She kept up with grandkids and great grandkids via Facebook postings daily. She proudly signed all her postings and comments with “G”.

Billy is preceded in death by her husband Donald, her eldest son Donald, Jr., her daughter-in-law Dianne, her brother Gilbert Colesworthy and sister-in-law Gloria, as well as her parents C.G. Colesworthy and Thelma Fay Oberthier (Nan).

She is survived by her son Michael (Debbie) of New Braunfels, grandchildren Brandon (Leigh) Meek of Dallas, Andy (Angela) Meek of Southlake, Natalie (Scott) Paprocki of Cedar Park, and Stephanie (Aaron) Slota of Dallas as well as numerous nieces and nephews and life-long and New Braunfels friends. She is survived by eight great-grandchildren: Austin Meek (24), Addison Meek (21), Caroline Meek (19), William Meek (17), Barrett Meek (16), Aiden Paprocki (14), Reese Paprocki (12), and Jackson Slota (10).

Grandma will be remembered as the consummate and loyal military spouse and supportive of her country and family. She raised two sons and provided life memories for them and her four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, all whom proudly claim to be “Grandma’s favorite”. She loved participating actively in Bible Study and worship at New Braunfels Presbyterian Church, shopping, and completing hundreds of puzzles with her BFF (Debbie), breakfast at Krause’s and “the Bistro”, and neighborhood gatherings on Woodrow Circle.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, Oct. 23 at New Braunfels Presbyterian Church at 2pm. The family has requested that memorial contributions be given to the New Braunfels Presbyterian Church, 373 Howard St. New Braunfels, Texas or the Braunfels Foundation Trust at PO Box 311417 New Braunfels, Texas 78131.