Billy Gene Hancock

Billy Gene Hancock, 82, of Angleton and formerly of Oletha, passed away on September 15, 2015 at his residence. The family welcomes friends for a time of visitation from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Funeral Home on Thursday September 17, 2015. Services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Friday, September 18, 2015 in the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor Chris Moore of Angleton, and Reverend Johnny Layton of the Lake Limestone Baptist Church, officiating. Gospel hymns that Bill loved will be sung by Phil Koester and Gabe Duron. Interment will follow in the Thornton Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Jason Meyers, Danny Hancock, Dwayne Byrd, Jack Hodges, John Turner and Mack Jones. Honorary pallbearers will be Dennis Searcy, Bill Turner, Lyndon Cate, Kenny Stinson, Ricky Stinson, and Donnie Stinson. Billy was born to William and Gladys (Starkey) Hancock on July 31, 1933 in Easterly, Texas. He graduated from Franklin High School in 1950, and had been a quarterback for the Franklin Lions. Billy went on to play college football for the University of Texas at Arlington and Hardin-Simmons College. He served in the U. S. Army during the Korean War, from 1954 through 1956, and was a chef in the Army. He continued to enjoy cooking the rest of his life and loved to spend time in the kitchen cooking with daughter Debbie. Billy was united in marriage with Marvis Lee Stinson on February 19, 1953 at Oletha. He was already working at GATX in Hearne prior to their marriage, and after driving from Oletha for a time, the family moved to Hearne in 1966. He entered the job pushing a wheelbarrow and ended as the plant manager, after working 18-1/2 years at GATX. In 1970, the family moved to Angleton when he took a job with Richmond Tank Car. While living in Angleton, Billy went into business for himself with two Texaco and an Exxon gas station. Marvis was right there with Billy while she worked as his secretary first at Richmond Tank Car, and then as the bookkeeper for the stations. From Angleton they moved to Bryan, and when he finally retired in 1997 they moved to Oletha, where Marvis had grown up, and enjoyed many years of retirement. He loved looking after his mother-in-law, Gertrude Stinson and she loved him dearly. And he loved looking after his cattle at their Oletha ranch. While a young man living in Limestone County, Billy played fast-pitch softball with a local adult team of men, who played their way to the World Finals in Phoenix in 1954. He continued to play baseball for years until his sons became old enough to start playing. And he also enjoyed playing golf with his son Ronnie. Billy was an avid “die-hard” Aggie fan, as well as a fan of the Dodgers all his life. Billy never met a stranger, and could hardly go anywhere without finding someone he knew or had a common bond with someone. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge of Thornton #486 and had served through all the offices. He was a member of the Baptist church in the places he lived and served as a Deacon for many years. One of the greatest joys of Bill’s life was music, especially Southern Gospel. As a young man, he sang in a quartet with the “Hancock Brothers.” He was a music minister in the sixties for Baptist Churches in Hearne, Bremond, and Oletha, and later years at the Lake Limestone Baptist Church. He was a member of the “Glory Train” quartet with Jimmy Lee, Don McLeod (both of Fairfield) and Phil Koester (of Groesbeck). He loved singing with his boys, Ronnie and David, and daughter Debbie (with Marvis and Renee being their loving supporters) and he shared a special love of singing with his grandson, “Cocoa” (Colton). Cocoa always expected to sing onstage with his Papa and was invited onstage with other gospel groups who saw his love of music. Billy’s love of singing was such that in December when he was so critically ill he had not been able to talk for several days, he revived to sing in his hospital bed along with his pastor Chris and daughter Debbie. He is now singing in the great Gospel Choir for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was a Christian man, of good humor, with a wonderful smile and music in his heart, which he shared with others, and he was a loving husband and father and a true gentleman. His family has wonderful memories of laughing and singing and loving each other. Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 62 years, Marvis (Stinson) Hancock; two sons and daughters-in-law, Ronald and Monica Hancock of Angleton and David and Dana Hancock of Angleton; two daughters and sons-in-law, Debbie and David Myers of Carencro, LA. and Renee and Luis Mercado of Angleton; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Edward and Dawna Hancock of Franklin and Robert and Suzy Hancock of Denton; ten grandchildren: Shawn Myers, Jason Myers, April Myers LaBauve, Natalee Hancock Beaty, Colton Hancock, Calli “Cheyenne” Hancock, Tobie Herndon Hurst, Kalynn Mercado Barrientez, Kaylor Mercado, and Kinslee Mercado, as well as ten great-grandchildren: Gabrielle Reeder, Danielle Myers, Michelle Myers, MacKenzie LaBauve, Kinlee LaBauve, Braxton Beaty, Morgan Beaty, Kaiden Beaty, Austin Hurst, and Emily Hurst.