William Hooks

Family and friends will gather at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Visitors' Gallery on Sunday, September 7th to celebrate the life of Bill Hooksa�"a remarkable husband, father, son, brother, and friend. The memorial celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a fajita buffet and fellowship. A link for directions is included below.

Bill is survived by Patty Anderson Hooks, the love of his life since their school days in Laredo. His daughters, Christina and Allison, made Bill endlessly proud.

He is also survived by his mother, Bonnie Gene Hooks of Smithville, and is the favorite brother of six sisters: Terrie Brisbine (Craig), Charlene Benavides, Dana Kerby (Felton), Rose Hooks (Sheila Randall), Cheryl Earnest (Jay), and Lori Hooks (Sam Hunt). He is remembered with love by an extensive extended family of aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. For many of the kiddos, Bill (with his nice, full, whitea�"NOT graya�"beard) was first known as Santa Claus. Also surviving Bill are his "chosen brothers" David Canion, Jon Emery, Tim Jones, and Murray Martin.

Bill was born in Mercedes, Texas, and grew up in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. He went to high school in Laredo, where he was voted Most Popular Senior. But he was most proud of his status as "king" of the annual high school bonfire (though some speculate that could have been due to his owning a pickup and being a tall kid).
Always a hard worker, Bill held a job throughout his high school years. Afterward, he migrated to Lubbock where he was the manager of Coldwater Countrya�"a music venue that put him in direct contact with musicians of all sortsa�""the big ones and the little ones," as Bill would say. He loved this job and met many lifetime friends while he was there.

A visit with Patty and an ice-skating accident led to Bill's move to Austin. He launched Armadillo Amusementsa�"renting arcade games and pool tables to local venues. Later he went to work for AT&T as a lineman until 2012.

For more than 40 years, Bill and Patty's relationship thrived on love, respect, shared sense of purpose, family, and friends. Christina and Allison, are the crowning gems of Bill and Patty's life together. At the mere mention of their names, Bill's smile would light up the room. He was a doting and protective dad who helped raise his girls to be loving, caring, intelligent, and independent women.

From the beginning, Bill was actively engaged with the girls. He was "Mister Mom" in the first years of their lives (giving the neighborhood a lot of fun things to talk about). Afterward, he was a reliable (and always proud!) presence in their school, athletic, and social activities. He may be best remembered as the Zombie Scarecrow at the Wild Things' Halloween Extravaganza. Bill loved fishing. He loved the beach. He loved musica�"all kinds (but especially Rod Stewart). He was well-known for corny catchphrases. Question: How are you, Bill? Answer: Old, tired, and ugly.

The Hooks' home has long been a favorite gathering spot for family and friends. Bill reveled in hosting any occasion. He especially loved anything that involved his neighborsa�"an exceptional alliance of friends: Tim and Beth Jones, Murray and Peggy Martin, and Dr. Ron and Hannah (Bill's 7th sister) Byrd.

The family is especially grateful to these neighbors, along with Adam Rosa, for the love and hands-on care they gave Bill during his illness. Their company and kindness were a great comfort to Bill.
We may never know the full measure of the acts of kindness Bill bestowed on family and friends over the years. He wasn't one to draw attention to his generositya�"didn't like the spotlight. But it is an established fact that Bill gave money and countless hours of personal time to support friends who needed a lift.

Instead of flowers, the family prefers donations of time or money in Bill's memory. The following organizations were especially important to him:
a�� EveryChild, Inc.
8400 N. MoPac Expressway, Suite 201
Austin, TX 78759
Website: everychildtexas.org
a�� SafePlace
PO Box 19454
Austin, TX 78760
Website: safeplace.org
a�� Hospice Austin
4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100
Austin, TX 78759
Website: hospiceaustin.org
a�� HAAM (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians)
PO Box 301496
Austin, TX 78703-0025
Website: myhaam.org

The Wildflower Center is located at 4801 La Crosse Avenue in Austin. For directions, visit www.wildflower.org/gettinghere/ or call (512) 232-0100.