William “Bill” Shealy
William “Bill” Shealy, 94, of Hixson, Tennessee, passed away on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at Memorial Hospital.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James Boyd Shealy and Geneva Lindler Shealy; siblings Virley S. Shealy, Sara Shealy Klein, Noah E. Shealy, James B. Shealy, Jr., Rebecca Shealy Silvia, Jerry L. Shealy, and Joe F. Shealy.
He is survived by his loving wife of 72 years, H. Lorine Shealy; daughter, Cindy Shealy (George) Wilkerson; son, Jimmy R. (Sande) Shealy; grandchildren, Lindsey (Jason) Pooler, J. Ryan (Makayla) Shealy, Haley L. Shealy and Justin Barger; great grandchildren, Kate Barger, Grayson Barger, Margaret Pooler, Libby Pooler and J. Robert Shealy II; sisters, Earline Suydam and Athalee Rauch; brother, Eugene (Ann) Shealy, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives.
William was born on March 17, 1929 in Chapin, South Carolina. His parents never gave him a middle name because according to him they ran out of names by the time he was born. He attended Chapin High School before joining the United States Marine Corps and serving during World War II. After his service to his country, he returned to Chapin, SC and started working for Norfolk Southern Railroad with whom he remained until his retirement in 1987.
William, who had earned the nickname “TomCat” in his younger years, met his future wife when he returned home after the War. He first laid eyes on her at a Chapin – Irmo women’s basketball game. He looked out and saw Lorine playing and declared, “that’s the cutest little girl I ever seen.” One look is all it took to tame the TomCat. His heart belonged to her from that day forward. They wed in 1951 and remained deeply in love for the next 72 years. In 1957, the railroad caused them to move to the Chattanooga area where they remained for the rest of his life. They were long-time residents of Brainerd before later moving to Hixson.
William was an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing, hunting, and just getting to spend time in the great outdoors. He was quite the golfer (7 hole-in-ones) who won many a dollar from his friends at Creeks Bend Golf Club. At ninety, he could still put up low scores and take on others decades younger than himself. Farming was in William’s blood and with his green thumb he always had a flourishing garden. He also had a major sweet tooth. There wasn’t a Little Debbie safe if he was around. In his later years, he took up painting and woodworking creating some truly amazing works of art that will be cherished by his family.
William was a longtime member of Trinity Woodmore Methodist Church and later Christ United Methodist Church. His strong faith is what helped carry him throughout his life especially towards the end where he endured many health issues. The other thing that helped was his deep love for his family. He loved being a Dad and adored being his grandchildren’s PaPa (pronounced Paw-Paw).
He was loved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed. The family would like to thank this area’s many great physicians who kept him up and moving to the very last day, especially Drs. Grewal, Daniel, Warren, Sprouse and Elias.
Services will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16, at Chattanooga Funeral Home - North, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, Tn. 37343. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. with the service beginning at 12 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Christ United Methodist Church or Chambliss Center for Children.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com.