William Sidney “Bill” Minter, age 91 of Frisco, Texas passed away on June 6, 2015. He was born March 26, 1924 in Dallas, Texas to Sylvia (King) and Buford Albert Minter, Sr. Bill married Ellie Russell in Rockwall, Texas on March 2, 1951 and they celebrated over 60 years together.
At the tender age of 17, with his father’s permission, Bill joined the U.S. Navy, proudly serving on the USS Saratoga CV3, one of our nation’s first aircraft carriers. He saw action in the Pacific Theater and was onboard when the Saratoga was struck by a Japanese torpedo.
Following his discharge, Bill began a life-long career with Western Electric, installing microwave towers for telephone service across Texas and neighboring states. It was while working at the AT&T offices in Dallas that Bill met a pretty telephone operator named Ellie – his future wife.
Bill and Ellie settled in Frisco where in 1967, he was elected to the board of trustees for Frisco Independent School District, serving as President from 1974-1976 and again in 1977-1978. In 1963, Bill was instrumental in the formation of the Frisco High School Band Booster club and served as its president. A member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, he served as president and loved to share his war and military experiences with Frisco students.
In the mid 1960’s, along with Jack Barnes, Bill rebuilt the Frisco Boy Scout program and served as scoutmaster for several years. He always talked about the 1972 expedition to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and spent many personal vacations with Frisco boys at scout camps.
Most of all, Bill loved to travel with Ellie, taking her to Hong Kong, Australia, the Bahamas, and all 50 states of the U.S. In recent years, their trips were to New Mexico and Arizona to buy silver, turquoise, amethyst and geodes for his jewelry “hobby”.
Bill is survived by his three children, David Minter (Collette) of Arlington, Texas; Ron Minter (Cindy) of Grapevine, Texas and Patricia Logsdon (George) of Pocatello, Idaho; five grandchildren, Monica Dittfurth (Jason), Melinda Nunez (Daniel), Marilyn Franklin (Nathan), Scott Minter and Emily Gayle; eight great-grandchildren, Caleb, Anthony, Joshua, Addison, Valerie, Sid, Reagan and Isaac; numerous nieces and nephews.
Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Ellie, two grandsons, Preston Minter and Aaron Minter, his parents, one brother and one sister.
A Funeral Service will be held at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Chapel in Frisco on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 10:00 AM with Pastor Elwood Larson officiating. A public graveside service will be held at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas at 1:00 PM. Family and friends are invited to the funeral home in Frisco on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project.
To continue honoring the life of W.S. Minter, a personal website has been created at www.yourdash.com/williamminter. The family requests you visit this unique website to share your memories by uploading your photos, videos, or comments using any mobile device or computer.