WILLIAM BURRES HEAD, III
1933-2018
William Burres Head, III passed away peacefully in Houston on Wednesday, the 31st of October 2018, at the age of 85. Bill (Billy to family and friends) was born to Eugenia Nelson Head and W. B. Head, Jr. on the 12th of August 1933, in Dallas. In the early years, his family moved to Sands Springs, Oklahoma and Warrensburg, Missouri, and then to Houston in 1940.
Bill had a bright and discerning mind and excelled academically throughout his formative years. In Houston, Bill attended River Oaks Elementary, Lanier Junior High School, and in 1946, became a member of the first graduating class of the newly opened St. John’s School. He was the first recipient of the coveted Headmaster’s Award. Upon graduation in 1951, he attended Princeton University where he pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. He was elected Phi Beta Kappa and graduated cum laude in 1955. Following his graduation, Bill was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy where he served on active duty for two years on the USS Roberts, a destroyer escort ship operating out of Norfolk, Virginia. Returning to Houston in 1957, he pursued a Masters in Geology at Rice University. He was a member of the Sigma Xi honor society, graduating in 1959.
It was during his Princeton years that he met the “love of his life,” Janet K. Heim, from Cranford, New Jersey, whom he married in 1956. In 1959, Bill began a lifelong career as a geologist with Texaco, Inc., and together Bill and Janet embarked on a journey across the United States and Canada, raising their three children. They lived in eight different cities, and established a wide circle of dear friends across the entire continent. Returning to Houston in 1980, Bill eventually retired in 1994 after 35 years of exemplary service with Texaco.
Throughout his life and career, Bill had the opportunity to explore and study the rugged landscapes of the great West and the Rocky Mountains. This exposure, combined with his study of geology and the natural sciences, greatly impacted Bill’s belief in a God who could be experienced and known in the majestic, natural creation. In 1987, Bill was able to realize a childhood dream of a mountain home in Estes Park, Colorado. This home on the side of Emerald Mountain became his “little slice of heaven.” Bill and Janet spent many summers hiking, entertaining friends, and sharing their enjoyment with their children and grandchildren. Through the years, Bill successfully passed on his love for this special place to the next generation and beyond. This is one of his proudest legacies.
Bill loved his church. He was a charter member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, joining in November of 1945 when they met at Lamar High School. He faithfully served his church community in a variety of capacities. It remained his church home all his life. Bill took great comfort from the promises of his faith, and relished the peace it brought him.
Throughout his life, Bill quietly and faithfully modeled wisdom, steadfast character and resolute values. He was deeply devoted to Janet, his wife of 62 years, his three children and their spouses, and their seven grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Eugenia Head Reynolds. He is survived by his wife and his children, Allison Head Schovee and her husband Stephen W. Schovee, Nelson B. Head and his wife Jane O. Head, Elizabeth Head Black and her husband Milton E. Black, Jr.; and his grandchildren, Elizabeth Schovee MacFarlane and her husband Matthew MacFarlane, Matthew Schovee and his wife Sidney Schovee, Kathleen Head, Amy Head, Margaret Head, Milton E. Black, III and Nelson Black.
A memorial service celebrating his life is to be conducted at half-past two o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, the 6th of November, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road in Houston, where Dr. Tom Pace is to officiate.
Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the nearby Fellowship Hall.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in his name be directed to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX, 77007; or to Christian Community Service Center, P.O. Box 27924, Houston, TX, 77227-7924.