Memorials › William Fred "Billy" Zuhlke Jr
William Fred "Billy" Zuhlke Jr
13 Jul 1927 – 14 Aug 2015
| Birth | 13 Jul 1927 |
| Death | 14 Aug 2015 |
| Cemetery | Saint Matthews Catholic Cemetery Jourdanton , Atascosa County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | Trudy on 18 Aug 2015 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150910265 |
Bio
William Fred Zuhlke, Jr., age 88, of Jourdanton, Texas, passed away on August 14, 2015. Better known as "Billy", he is survived by his wife of eighteen years, Vlasta (Juricek) of Jourdanton. Children included Wanda (Zuhlke) Borth and husband Norman of Jourdanton, Beverly (Zuhlke) Tymrak and husband Don of Karnes City and Gerald Zuhlke and wife Kerry of Jourdanton. He was also blessed with seven grandchildren and seven, soon to be eight, great grandchildren. He is also survived by a brother, Harold Zuhlke and wife Marylin of Corpus Christi as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 45 years, Georgia, his parents Bill and Martha Zuhlke, and his youngest brother, Richard. Billy was born in Waco, Texas on July 13, 1927. At the age of two, his family moved to Atascosa County. He attended school in Charlotte but later moved to Jourdanton. He started both his junior and senior years of high school by missing the first six weeks of school to help his family harvest the cotton and corn crops. Despite these late starts, he worked hard and became the salutatorian of the Jourdanton class of 1944. In 1945, Billy was drafted into the army. During World War II he served in the counterintelligence department in Japan and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. He returned home in 1947 and worked for the Federal Land Bank. In March, 1952, he went to work for the Jourdanton State Bank as a teller and eventually rose to the position of Executive Vice-President of operations. He retired from the Jourdanton State Bank at the age of 50 in 1977, spending twenty-five years with the institution. On July 1, 1977, he opened the Jourdanton Finance Company where he still worked until his final days.In 1988, Bill was named trustee ofthe Lillian Walton Foundation and began rewarding scholarships to Atascosa County students. To date, the foundation has awarded nearly $2.4 million dollars in scholarships to students from Jourdanton, Pleasanton, Poteet, and Charlotte high schools. Billy was named Citizen of the Year in 1964 by the Chamber of Commerce. In 1969, he was elected President of the Jourdanton Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Jourdanton School Board from 1978-1979 and again from 1986 to 1989. The Jourdanton Future Farmers honored him by making him an Honorary Chapter Farmer. He was one ofthe founding-directors ofthe Jourdanton Industrial Park. He was a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars, KJT, and Hermann Sons. He was a devoted member of St. Matthews's Catholic Church and served for a number of years as financial chairman. Billy loved spending time at his vacation home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. He also enjoyed frequent trips to Las Vegas, playing dominoes, and just spending time with his family. One of his favorite things to do to his kids, grandchildren, great children, and any unsuspecting family member that stood still long enough, was to give them a "Wet-willie"---an experience that will never be forgotten. He also loved to joke around with people, especially wait people in restaurants. Billy was a very savvy businessman. He never invested in the stock market, choosing rather to invest in tangible assets. He would say, "You will never go broke by taking a profit". He did support many charities and non-profit organizations. Throughout his banking and financial career he has touched and helped many people, especially the youth of our communities. He will be missed by many. Pallbearers include Bryan Borth, Christopher Borth, Bradley Borth, Jason Tymrak, Kyle Zuhlke, all grandsons and Norman Borth, son-in law. Visitation will be from 2-9 pm on Monday, August 17 at the Hurley Funeral Home in Pleasanton, with a rosary service at 7:00 pm. The funeral service will be held at St. Matthew's Catholic Church of Jourdanton at 11:00 am on Tuesday, August 18, with burial following in St. Matthew's Cemetery.
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