William H. Crenshaw Jr., 79, of Buchanan Dam died Jan. 15, 2016
William H. “Bill” Crenshaw Jr., 79, of Buchanan Dam, Texas, passed away Jan. 15, 2016. He was the son of Margarete Birdsong and William H. Crenshaw and was born June 20, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughter, Keely and husband Jess McNeely; and granddaughters Allison, Ella and Kier McNeely of Wichita, Kansas.
He was preceded in death by granddaughter Liv Ann McNeely.
Bill graduated form Midland High School in 1954 and attended Austin College in Sherman before transferring to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he graduated in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. While at Tech, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a national social fraternity.
Bill’s grandfather began practicing law in Lubbock in 1926. The firm is still known by the name Crenshaw, Dupree and Milam.
Bill often stated that his grandfather Birdsong was the person who had the most influence on his life.
Bill’s father was a prominent, longtime Lubbock attorney, and Bill learned the law by reading the books, committing to the hours of study and working in his father’s law office. He was among the last lawyers in Texas to be allowed to take the bar exam without going to law school. He was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1965 and practiced law in Lubbock until he moved to Lake Buchanan in 1997. He practiced in the Hill Country until he became ill in 2015. He had a reputation as a “crusty old lawyer” but with a heart of gold, particularly for children in the CPS system for which he served as attorney at lietum. He was a mediator and mentor.
He loved animals. In younger days, he trained horses, raised dogs and, at one time, had the largest bird aviary in the Southwest.
Bill loved and played sports. He played basketball, baseball, tennis and became a scratch golfer. He enjoyed snow skiing and sailing. He was an avid Texas Tech sports fan.
Bill was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.
A celebration of life is 11 a.m. Feb. 13 at Waldrope-Hatfield-Hawthorne Funeral Home, 900 Industrial Blvd. in Kingsland, (325) 388-6767. A reception will follow at Hill Country Hall, 15675 Texas 29 in Buchanan Dam.
Memorial contributions may be made to: Hill Country Humane Society, P.O. Box 1041, Marble Falls, TX 78654; Cherokee Children’s Home, P.O. Box 295, Cherokee, TX 76832; and Buchanan Arts and Crafts, 17534 Texas 29 East, Buchanan Dam, TX 78609.
Email condolences to whhfuneral1@verizon.net.