Last Known Activity:
William Norwood Hollis, Sr.
Having shaken the hands of five presidents, William N. (Bill) Hollis left this earth on September 10, 2012 to meet the only dignitary left worth meeting-his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Born July 15, 1924 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi during financially challenging times, Bill became his family's breadwinner at an early age and maintained that work ethic throughout his long, successful life. A proud member of the Greatest Generation, Bill served his country in the submarine service during WWII. After the war, he returned to Houston to finish high school, graduating from Jeff Davis in 1946. He went on to attend the University of Houston on the GI Bill, playing his guitar in hillbilly bars to help pay the bills. Bill also played football, where he became U of H's highest scoring defensive tackle. It was at U of H where he met the love of his life, Lois Howell, to whom he was married for 60 years.
After graduating with a Masters Degree, Bill went on to start the H Association in support of U of H athletes. He was very involved in Houston politics starting with a run for County Judge in 1962. Over his career, he was President of the Houston Junior Chamber of Commerce, a member of the city planning commission, an adjunct professor of speech at his alma mater, and an entrepreneur with his own insurance agency, auction company, and property development business. Bill was an outspoken but a much demanded public speaker, and his family marveled that no matter where they traveled he always ran into a friend.
Bill is survived by his wife Lois, his son Chris and wife Pam, his daughter Erin and husband Rick Kilton, his daughter April Bacon, his daughter Patricia from his first wife and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother James and sister Edith from Mississippi. Sorrowfully, he was predeceased by his oldest son, Bill Jr.
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