(November 28, 1930 ~ May 30, 2018)
John William Dillingham, Jr., 87, of Stephenville passed away Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at his home.
Funeral services will be held at 3:30 PM on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at Stephenville Funeral Home with Mike Hannah officiating. Burial will follow at Hannibal Cemetery. The family will host a visitation from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM, Saturday, just prior to the service.
John William Dillingham, Jr. was born in Leavenworth, Kansas on November 28, 1930. His parents were John, Sr. and Ione Dillingham. John, Sr. was a federal prison guard. The family moved to Texarkana, Texas in 1940 when a new prison opened there.
John, Jr. graduated from Texarkana High school and junior college. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War and then attended North Texas State College, where he received BA and MA degrees with major in sociology and minor in psychology.
He moved to Fort Worth where he soon married Winola Norrell, who was divorced with two boys, Clinton Dewitt and Frank Edward. They soon had a son, John Dillingham, III, and a daughter, Sandra Kay. John also enjoyed serving the Lord, being very active in the Methodist church and sharing “the message” with others.
John, Jr. worked in the advertising agency business for several years, eventually having his own agency. In 1960 he joined several others in founding an oil field rubber company in Grapevine, Texas, which later became Regal, Int. and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He worked nine years with Lubrication Engineers as sales promotion manager, then moved to Lafayette where he joined two partners owning Mark Tool Co., which applied corrosion coating to offshore platforms and pipelines.
He sold his interest in Mark Tool in 1993 and moved to Northern Erath County where he purchased a small ranch called the Anchor D, where he fulfilled a dream and raised cattle and hay. Winola died in 2009 after 53 years of marriage. John, Jr. lived at the Anchor D until his death. He was also preceded in death by a son, Frank Dillingham.
He is survived by son, Clinton Norrell and wife Kathy of California; son, John Dillingham, III and wife Tessa of Goldthwaite; daughter, Sandra Smith of Weatherford; many beloved grandchildren and great grandchildren; and his late brother James’ children, Janice Hall, Jed Dillingham, and Jennifer Green and husband John.
In lieu of flowers, donations could be made to: Diabetes foundation or rebuilding Huckabay Community Center, Hannibal Methodist Church, or Erath County Animal Shelter.
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