William “Bill” John Gracie, 88, passed away peacefully on December 28, 2024 in Frisco, Texas. He was born on September 1, 1936 to William and Mary Gracie of Dundee, Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Carol Pennington; grandchildren, Cody Pennington, Jacquelyn Luebbert, Justin Pennington, and Skylar Jacques; nine great grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews and friends, who will cherish their memories of Bill. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of almost 65 years, Ena Gracie, parents, William and Mary Gracie, sister, Lucy Rayner, brother-in-law, Charles Rayner, brother, Duncan Burgess, daughter, Deborah Luebbert, son-in-law, James Luebbert, and grandchildren, James “Jimbo” Luebbert and Jeremy Luebbert.
Bill attended St. John’s High School in Dundee and played professional football, aka soccer for many teams in Scotland, Canada and England before meeting Ena on board the Empress of Britain cruise ship in 1958 coming back from Canada. They married on August 8, 1959, and immigrated to Dallas, Texas in 1960 to start their new life together. Shortly thereafter, Bill was drafted into the US Army and served a tour of duty in Korea. Upon his return, Bill attended Business Management Courses at Southern Methodist University and then worked 40 years with Taylor Publishing Company in Dallas. After he officially retired, he also took a part time job at Sun Country Airlines at DFW airport and later moved to Arkansas where he worked part time at the Golf Pro Shop at the Cherokee Village North Country Club in Cherokee Village, Arkansas.
Bill's friends and family will remember him for his quick Scottish wit and storytelling abilities. He would tell us vivid stories of Scottish castles and ghosts, of his war stories from Korea, and of his footballer days in Vancouver, Lincoln and of course, with his beloved Dundee United. In his older years, he loved watching Premier League English Football matches and was a diehard Liverpool FC fan. Just a few weeks before his death, he told us he still felt in his heart like that 20-year-old footballer running down the field scoring a goal against the Scottish wind. In addition, he also loved to play golf, winning many Senior tournaments in Arkansas. Bill also loved to travel and shared a lifetime of adventures travelling the world with his beautiful wife, Ena.
A celebration of life will be held at Liberty Baptist Church, 8124 Main Street, Frisco, Texas 75033 on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.
While flowers are appreciated, please consider a more meaningful tribute by donating to the Alzheimer's Association, alz.org/get-involved-now/donate, to help fund research to end this terrible disease that eventually took the life of his beloved bride, Ena Gracie in June 2024.