Willie Lee Fowler

Willie Lee Fowler, a resident of Baytown, Texas for 87 years, died June 4, 2015 in Stamford, Texas. He was born in Malvern, Arkansas on October 4, 1918 and moved with his family to Baytown in 1925. Mr. Fowler attended Anson Jones, Horace Mann and Robert E. Lee in Baytown. During his junior year at Lee his family moved to Highlands, Texas and he and his twin sister rode the trolley to Baytown to school. His senior year at Robert E. Lee he was told Crosby High School did not have enough boys to field a football team and Willie Lee was asked to transfer to Crosby where he played football and basketball. He graduated Crosby in 1937.
Mr. Fowler went to work at Humble Oil before World War II was declared. Like so many other young men he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and assigned to the USS Washington, a Battleship and was present during many battles. He subsequently was sent to Gyro Compass School and was assigned to an LST until the end of the War.
After the War Mr. Fowler returned to Baytown where a job was waiting for him at Humble. He retired from Exxon in 1980.
Mr. Fowler moved to Stamford, Texas in 2012 to live with his daughter, Billie Ruth Hinze.
Willie Lee Fowler was the son of Mary Ann Elizabeth Smoot Fowler and John Benjamin Fowler and hand 2 brothers and 2 sisters, Burton Fowler, Benjamin Fowler, Clarinda Elizabeth Fowler and his twin sister Lillie Mae Fowler Young.
Mr. Fowler was married to Liddie Paulin Selman who preceded him in death. He is survived by his Daughter, Billie Ruth Hinze, Son-in-law Milton Hinze, Grandchildren David Richard Hinze, James Adam Hinze, Sonya Kristin Hinze Harrison and Great Grandchildren James Adam Hinze, Jr. Alicia Elizabeth Hinze, Sarah Elizabeth Harrison and William Charles Harrison.
Services for Mr. Fowler are 10:00 a.m. Monday, June 8, 2015, in the Tankersley Funeral Home Chapel 807 S. Columbia St. Stamford, Texas with PLM Don Heller officiating. Mr. Fowler will be laid to rest at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Baytown, Texas, Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. Arrangements are under the direction of Tankersley Funeral Home. The family will be receiving friends at the funeral home on Monday morning before the services.