William C. Meadows

William C. Meadows was born January 16, 1941 in the small coal mining/railroad town of Hinton, West Virginia.  His father was a machinist on the C & O Railroad but went to fight the African Campaign in WWII in 1942 as a Navy Seaman. Bill’s family moved to Cuero, Texas in 1952, and then Victoria in 1954, while his dad worked at Union Carbide. Bill took piano lessons (and later, guitar), played sports, and was always active in the local Methodist church. As a teen, he also delivered the Victoria Advocate Newspaper and earned enough money to buy himself a car.

He attended Victoria College, then Texas A&I Kingsville to pursue a degree in music. It was there he met and married Elizabeth McAlister. They married on June 2, 1962 in Carrizo Springs, Texas. After college, Bill and Liz lived in Dalhart and Freer, Texas, where he taught high school choir and Liz was a Kindergarten teacher. A son, Kirk, was born in 1964. Bill was offered a scholarship assistantship at Indiana University in 1967, so the family moved to Bloomington, Indiana. Bill graduated from I.U.  with a master’s degree in psychology and a counseling certification. In September, they moved to Woodsboro, Texas, where Bill served as the high school counselor. They spent 6 years in Woodsboro, where Bill announced the football games and wrote sports for the local newspaper. In 1969, daughter Anne was born. In 1973, the family moved to Carrizo Springs, where they lived for 14 years. Kirk and Anne went to school there and were active in UIL – Kirk in theater, and Anne in academics and music. Bill served as a bilingual diagnostician, and later a high school counselor at Carrizo Springs High School. He also sponsored the student council and coached UIL Debate (going to regionals all four years). Bill, Liz and Anne played folk music at various venues as the “Carrizo Trio” until Anne went to college in 1986.

Bill and Liz moved to Gonzales in 1988. Bill was a bilingual school diagnostician, and Liz continued to teach school. Liz was diagnosed with cancer in February 1991 and passed away in September 1993. Bill continued to be active in the United Methodist Church community, playing music and being an active part of the Emmaus community, of which Bill worked over 40 Walks to Emmaus (Christian retreats), 5 Kairos (prison ministry retreats), and 5 Via de Cristos (Lutheran retreats).

Bill married Cheryl Browning in December of 1994. He continued to work, until retirement in 2000. The first grandson was born in 2003, Paden William Boothe. In 2006, another grandson, Sawyer James Boothe, was born. Bill spent many happy hours with both grandsons, also helping with baseball team coaching, Cub Scout hikes, and attending all of their other activities.

Bill continued to play music at church and lead Bible studies each week, until his health began to decline in 2024. He has played the piano in church for the last 28 years. He and Cheryl have been married for 29 years. Both have continued working in the Methodist Church in Gonzales, with United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, and other various ministries. Bill is survived by his younger sister, Judy Meadows Billen, and her husband, Kelly; as well as younger brother, John Meadows, and his wife, JoLynn. He is also survived by loving wife, Cheryl, daughter, Anne, son, Kirk, and grandsons, Paden William and Sawyer Boothe. He was preceded in death  by his first wife, Liz McAllister Meadows, his parents and son-in-law, John Boothe.

Bill has always been known as a loving husband and father, teller of recurring “dad jokes” (some were even funny!), insightful and thoughtful mentor, powerful witness to God, very competitive tennis player, giver of time and energy to helping others, consistent at saying grace at every meal, and doting on his grandsons. When diagnosed with cancer a little over a week ago, he calmly stated that he was “ready to go” and had no doubts about where he was going. His life has been well-lived, and his purpose fulfilled. We will miss him dearly.

The family will receive friends from 10 am to 11 am, Friday, July 5, 2024 in the First Methodist Church. Funeral services will follow at 11 am in the First Methodist Church with Dr. Matt Pennington officiating. Interment will follow in Hermann Sons Cemetery. Pallbearers: Carroll Adcock, Bradley Koehl, Brian Fees, Thomas Pirkle, Ronnie Menking, Darvin Dieringer, Tim Koehl and Billy Boothe. Honorary pallbearers: Bryan Adcock, Kevin Kohl, Joe Pat Nance, Charlie Pankey, Pal Lester, Royce Towns, members of Bill’s Monday Night Bible Study Class, and his and Cheryl’s Home Communion Ministry.

Memorials may be made to the First Methodist Church Music Membership or the Building Fund. Friends may leave their condolences to the family by visiting www.seydlerhillfuneralhome.com.

Services are under the care and direction of Seydler-Hill Funeral Home.