Willis Doyle Welborn, age 87, just 27 days after holding his beloved wife’s hand when she departed this earth to be with the Lord, followed suit and likewise went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Saturday, January 18, 2019, in Austin, Texas. Doyle was born July 26, 1932, in Collin County, Texas, near Princeton to William Jefferson (Jeff) and Vera Altha (Henagar) Welborn and graduated from Princeton High School in 1951.
During high school, Doyle met and fell in love with his high school sweetheart Mary Lu Barnes, a 1950 graduate of McKinney High School. They were married on July 3, 1952 in McKinney, Texas and were blessed with two sons, John and Brian Welborn. The family moved to Richardson, Texas in 1960 and were members of the First Baptist Church of Richardson. Mary Lu and Doyle were happily married for 67 years until Mary was called home by the Lord on December 22, 2019.
Knowing he was going to be drafted into the military shortly after high school graduation, Doyle took a job on an assembly line where he assisted in the manufacture of wings for the Convair B-36 Peacemaker, a strategic bomber for the U.S. Air Force. He was drafted into the United States Army on March 4, 1953 and was trained to be a combat engineer at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for deployment to Korea. During basic training, Mary Lu would drive from McKinney, Texas to visit Doyle every time he had leave. Some of the most memorable stories regarding these visits include Mary Lu’s accounting of one of her trips to Fort Leonard Wood when the engine of her 1949 Ford “fell out of the car when I was trying to turn off the road.” The family will cherish that story forever. Once Doyle finished basic training, story has it he was standing on a dock, with many other soldiers, waiting to board a troop transport ship bound for Korea, when a person on a loud speaker came on and called out the names of a handful of soldiers who were then instructed to report to a different area. Doyle was among those few called out who later learned they were being reassigned to Mainz, Germany, where he served for over 18 months. He was honorably discharged from active duty on February 25, 1955 and from the Army Reserve on February 28, 1961. After attending the University of Texas in Austin under the G.I. Bill, he took a job with State Farm Insurance in 1960 at the regional office in Dallas, Texas. In 1972, he transferred to the Austin regional office where he retired after almost 40 years of service.
Doyle was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He had a compassionate heart and loved his family and relatives dearly. During their younger years, Doyle and Mary Lu enjoyed taking their young boys to see relatives in Princeton, McKinney and Mesquite. He always told stories about his childhood growing up with his brothers on “Ticky Creek” where apparently he was “Alvin York” but with a sling shot. His boys loved these trips as the family would always stop at the same little country store to buy a loaf of bread, package of bologna and a jar of pickles, when the family was hungry. To wash it all down, big bottles of Frostie Root Beer were purchased for $.10 which had to be pulled out of a “coke machine”, and of course lots of candy! Doyle always said, “there is nothing better in life than this” being able to spend it with family on such occasions.
In Austin, Doyle and family were members of Allandale Baptist Church where Doyle was a Deacon and taught Sunday school. Enjoying sports, he took an active role in his boy’s athletics spending many seasons coaching their football and baseball teams.
Doyle is survived by his children and grandchildren; John and Kim Welborn of Austin, Texas, their children Sarah and Jacob of Austin, and Johnny Affatato of Amarillo; Brian and Mary Welborn of Huntsville, Texas, their children Brian, Thomas Doyle, and Drew Welborn of Huntsville; and multiple nieces and nephews on both sides of his family whom he loved dearly.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Mary Lu Welborn; parents Jeff and Vera; and 4 brothers, Bill, Harmon, Archie, and Clayton Welborn.
The family will receive relatives and friends during a visitation from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., Saturday, January 25, 2020 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North Allen, Texas 75013. A short graveside service will follow at 1:00 pm at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, please send a memorial contribution to The Salvation Army-Austin Metropolitan Area Command.