William Reed Pitts

William (Bill) was born October 8,1967 in Springfield, Ohio to Perie R. Pitts Jr. and Marcia Krueger Pitts. He was baptized at Grace Lutheran in Springfield, Ohio. Bill’s family moved to New Carlisle, Ohio, where he grew up and was confirmed at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. He went on to attend The University of Texas and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1993. He soon married Dianne Steelhammer on August 14, 1993, at St. Martins Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas. Bill is survived by his mother, Marcia; wife, Dianne; son, Colton; brother, Perie R. Pitts III; and sisters, Christy DeLauter, Julie Howell, and Beth Mahrt.

Growing up Bill worked with his father participating in the Boy Scouts, achieving Life Scout; obtained his pilot’s license; and learned computer programming on a TI99 and Commodore 64 which developed his love for computers. Bill was a talented man who loved problem solving and working as an Electrical Engineer. He was employed at National Instruments for 27 years accumulating 5 patents for various testing equipment along with managing the design of Compact Rio. Being a co-owner for 20 years of the Tejas Apartments in Taylor, Texas, gave him an opportunity to meet new tenants and make new friendships.

Bill’s hobbies included photography where he loved to take pictures of nature and was always the photographer at family events; enjoying a good sci-fi/fantasy novel; walking his beloved dogs and listening to all genres of music. Becoming a Texan was a goal of his and he achieved it by studying Texas history, by dressing in his Stetson and Ropers, by horseback riding, by two-stepping to country and western music, by attending rodeos and by eating as much barbeque as he could. The sunsets, Texas country landscape, and the lifestyle he loved was realized when he purchased a small ranch outside of Coupland, Texas. Besides his family, his biggest love was spending summers at the family lake cabin in Minnesota where he was an avid fisherman. He would quote his grandfather’s saying every summer: “Let all your troubles sink to the bottom of the lake.” The lake was his “happy” place.

As a Christian, Bill closed his eyes on Earth on May 14th to reopen them and meet his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in Heaven.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8