WILMER ALLEN LINDSLEY, JR.
1937-2020
Wilmer Allen Lindsley, Jr. passed into heaven on Monday, March 9, 2020. Will, as he was more commonly known, was born September 28, 1937 in Alexandria, Louisiana. He had wonderful parents, who raised him to be honest, responsible, hardworking and to always be a gentleman.
Will learned to work at an early age and his first job had him delivering newspapers on his bike. The first $20 he ever earned at the age of nine, Will gave to the baby Jesus at Christmas Eve services. He grew up doing any and all jobs he could find from sweeping floors to being a soda jerk. Every year Will dug trenches in his huge yard for his mother’s garden.
Will also played football in high school until he had a wreck in his old car and his dad made him quit football in order to work after school to pay for the repairs. Will always liked to visit his grandparents in a little sawdust town of Zimmerman, Louisiana.
His grandfather taught him how to love and appreciate all people no matter their color or their economics.
His grandmother, Jo, gave him the special love only a grandmother could. After graduating from Bolton High School (where he was voted cutest senior boy) he went to college at Louisiana Tech. While at Tech, he worked in the student union.
After college, Will thought he wanted to be a lawyer so he enrolled at LSU Law School, but found being a lawyer was not his calling. Instead, he wanted to work with people and be a salesman (a “peddler,” as he called it).
Will served in the Air Force Reserves during Vietnam and had big dreams of being a Top Gun, but he had an equilibrium problem. He did later in life sky dive with his daughter, though. His first real serious job as a salesman was working for a Polish immigrant named Ed Sostecke. Soon after, he became a partner with Ed and opened a new company in Houston called Nappco Fastener Company and 50 years later, it is still going strong. It was Will’s wish that Nappco would be his legacy and be here for another 50 years.
Will leaves to mourn his death, his loving wife, Shirley Lindsley, and beloved cat, Cleopatra, whom he called, “Baby Girl.” He is also survived by his daughter, Lisa; his son, Todd, and his wife, Amy; grand-daughter, Lyla Grace; his “baby sister,” Peggy, and her husband, Larry Rogers (whom Will lovingly called his “d---ed ole brotherin-law”; nephew, Judd Allen and wife, Cressy, and their son, Aidan; nephews, Tate and Thadd; former sister -in-law, Ann McMillian; nephew, Mark McMillian and his wife Allison and their son, Mark Douglas; niece, Melinda McMillian Hughes; step-daughter, Lisa and her husband, Bobby Cayton; step-son, Cary Overbey; step-daughter, Cathy Knauff and her husband, Eric; stepson, JJ Knauff and his wife, Debby; and step-grandchildren, Linden, Taylor, Jordon, Lucas Overbey, Lucas Knauff, Coleman, Steven, Kate, Ava, and Harrison.
Will was preceded in death by his parents, Doc and Cecelia Mary; sister, Jo Ella; his brother, Bob; and his first cat, Miata.
Will loved to bird hunt and he had a group of friends that he hunted with for over 40 years. He also loved to fish, especially Peacock Bass in Brazil and salmon in Alaska.
Will was a lifetime member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and had a BBQ cookoff team for many years. He loved going to the livestock auctions. Every year, Will would buy a lamb and sometimes a few chickens. Will was also a member of BRASS (doctors for cancer research).
A young man in Egypt told Will as we were leaving, “I will keep you in my heart forever.” I think this is how we all feel about Will. We will keep him in our hearts forever.
A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m., Friday, March 20, 2020 at St. Michael the Archangel, 1801 Sage Road, in Houston, Texas.
To leave a condolence for the family, please visit josephjearthman.com.