William (Bill) Patrick Carroll

William (Bill) Patrick Carroll, 81, of Dilley, died on Saturday, October 10, 2020 in Pearsall.

He was born on January 16, 1939 to Louie Joseph and Ruby (Dunn) Carroll on the Dunn homestead near Covey Chapel west of Dilley.

He was preceded in death by his parents Louie Joseph and Ruby Carroll and his brothers Robert Carroll and Paul Carroll, sister Carolyn Swensen and sisters-in law Margaret Carroll and Helen Carroll.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Frances Janssen Carroll of Dilley and children Sean (Melody) Carroll of Dilley, Philip (Angela) Carroll of Corpus Christi and Ann (Javier) Martinez of Uvalde. Other survivors include brother LJ Carroll of Pearsall, sisters Rosemary (Milton) Tater of Inez and Margaret Ann (Craig) Siegfried of Easton, Pennsylvania, brother-in-law Zack Swenson of Austin, grandsons Mitch (Lindsey), Cody, Dillon, and Brian Carroll, Marcos and Steven Martinez, granddaughter Victoria Martinez, and one great-grandson Julian Carroll, as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Other people in his life include Letty Garcia, Devin and Garrett Ramirez, Twister Kluth and Tinslee Venable and one honorary family – the Urbans (Larry, Lynda, Michael and Meredith).

Bill grew up on the family dairy farm west of Dilley. As a youngster he won the calf scramble at the Houston Livestock Show. He was a 1957 graduate of Dilley High School and a starter on the 1955 Dilley Wolves Class B regional football championship team.

After graduation he worked for the HB Zachary Ranch in Laredo and then served in the Army where he participated in the Bay of Pigs mobilization during the Cuban missile crisis. He met his future wife Frances through mutual friends in Dilley. A group road trip to the bars and dance halls of Laredo led to a date at a New Year’s Eve party in Dilley the next day. They were married five months later on May 18, 1963 in Austin.

Upon the death of his father, Bill was honorably discharged from the military, and he and his new bride Fran returned to Dilley to help operate the family’s dairy operation, Frio Jersey Farm, and the Carroll Brothers ranching business. After the closure of the dairy, he raised hogs and continued dry land farming around southwest Frio County, specializing in watermelons. Even in retirement he spent most days working around the farm and being caretaker of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Cemetery. He had a green thumb and enjoyed maintaining his large yard as a pasttime. He was a self-taught carpenter and completed numerous home remodel and addition projects including the construction of Fran’s business office.

Bill was an active member and officer of the Dilley Lions Club, a former school board trustee for Dilley ISD, and a member of the American Legion. At the age of 50, Bill took up downhill skiing and took many road trips to the slopes of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado with the extended Carroll and Urban families and friends.

Funeral arrangements are pending with Hurley Funeral Home, Pearsall. Funeral mass and burial will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and cemetery, ten miles west of Dilley. Visitation and rosary will be the previous evening at Hurley Funeral Home, Pearsall. Dates and times will be posted on   https://www.hurleyfuneralhome.com/obits for the exact dates and times.

Bill’s seven grandchildren will serve as pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the St. Mary’s Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 640, Dilley, Texas 78017 or a charity of choice.