Bill Mayfield Ponder, a carpenter, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, June 10, 2016, in Colleyville. According to his wishes, no funeral services are planned. Cremation services are being provided by Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home in Colleyville. Interment will be in the Hebron Cemetery, alongside his beloved wife, in Hebron. Bill was born March 17, 1929, in Hebron, San Augustine County. He was the youngest of eight children born to John Coleman Ponder and Lillie Iola Thornton. Bill had a varied work career. He joined the Navy near the end of World War II and was stationed at Pearl Harbor. After that, he worked in the oilfields near Kilgore. He later moved to Grand Prairie where he worked as a Navy aircraft mechanic at Chance-Vought. A skin exposure to insulation that caused a rash sent him to the plant infirmary, and that's where he met his future wife, Verda Slater, a registered nurse working there at the time. They began dating and a month later they were married on May 6, 1949. They were married for 67 years until her death last February. Bill later had careers in sales, which resulted in several years each living in Victoria, McAllen and then Houston where he worked for Standard Brands, then Dresser Industries. Around 1969 he and his wife moved to Town Bluff (Dam B), between Woodville and Jasper, where Bill could spend time doing what he really loved, carpentry. He single-handedly built the house that he and his wife would live in for over 45 years, making improvement and adding a guest house. He also built most of the furniture in the house and shared his skills with family members, friends and neighbors. He built countless cabinets, bookcases, desks, hope chests and other items too numerous to list. His workshop was truly a sight to behold. Bill and his wife were also RV-ers. After retirement they often spent weeks traveling the United States and especially loved the mountains of the Northwest and the canyon lands of the Southwest. The family would like to sincerely thank the caregivers of Kindred at Home Hospice in Fort Worth for their kindness, compassion, support and expert care. They would also like to thank the EMTs of the Colleyville Fire Department for their compassionate assistance. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Verda; parents; sisters, Jewel Miller, Flossie Sullivan and Mozelle Miller; and brothers, Houston Ponder, L.J. "Jake" Ponder and Donald Ponder. Survivors: He is survived by his sons, John Ponder and his wife, Linda, of Colleyville, Glenn Ponder and his wife, Chris, of Darby, Mont.; grandchildren, Mason Ponder, Adrienne Ponder, William "Will" Ponder and Mylea Ponder; sister, Joyce King of Pasadena; numerous nieces and nephews.
Published in Star-Telegram on June 12, 2016