Billy Sinclair Flowers

Billy Sinclair Flowers passed away in his sleep on October 22, 2012, having valiantly battled Parkinson’s Disease for the last twenty-four years. Billy Sinclair Flowers was born to Oliver Kendrick and Ruby Lee Flowers in Cleburne, Texas on September 24, 1924. His father was a school principal and teacher with talents in theatre and violin. His mother was also a talented artist and homemaker. Billy spent his childhood in rural Texas moving every three to four years, often living near the small one and two-room schools where his father taught. In order to get a better education, Billy spent his high school years in Cleburne with his maternal grandmother, Eula Baker. He excelled in academics and was a starting guard, #15 in basketball, despite working ten hours a day, six days a week, for ten cents an hour. Billy graduated from Cleburne High School in 1942. It was also in Cleburne that he met his childhood sweetheart and first wife, Peggy Wilbanks. They were married in October 1942. With World War II raging, Billy enlisted in the Army as a private with the 29th Infantry Regiment and was off to Iceland, England, and after D-Day to France and Belgium. He received a battle field commission in Fontainebleau, France at the age of 20 and served the remainder of the war in Luxembourg, Germany and Czechoslovakia. After V-E Day, Lt. Flowers returned to Fort Hood in Texas. When World War II was over, Billy was allowed to leave the military and returned to Peggy in Fort Worth, quickly enrolling at Texas Christian University under the GI Bill with a double major in Physics and Mathematics. He always worked an outside job, took extra classes and in September 1946, became a new father to his first child, Larry. After only three years he had earned a distinguished Master’s Degree with that double major! Billy and his lifelong friend from Cleburne and TCU, Marshall Wicker, were hired by Shell Oil in their Geophysics Department. In fact, Billy spent his entire thirty-five year career working for Shell Oil with assignments in Houston, Odessa (where daughter, Alison, was born in 1953), Midland, Roswell, New York City, Baton Rouge, Lafayette , and finally with several moves between New Orleans and Houston. His keen knowledge of mathematics and geophysics allowed him to develop techniques for finding billions of barrels of oil in deep water, exceptionally so with offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico using the Bright Spot technology. At the end of this brilliant career, Billy was President of Shell Offshore, Inc. He appeared before the Senate Finance Committee, conversing with governors, congressmen, and senators on the merits of this offshore drilling. In fact, in 2003, he was inducted into the Offshore Energy Center’s Hall of Fame as an Industry Pioneer. In September 1984, Billy and Peggy retired to their newly constructed home on seventeen acres in Tyler, Texas. During these early retirement years, Billy became an accomplished classical guitarist, enjoyed playing golf, and working his land with a John Deere tractor. At this time, he also wrote his memoirs entitled “He Spoke French with a TCU Accent”. Shortly before his sixty-fourth birthday, Billy displayed tremors in his left hand and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Billy and Peggy enjoyed more than twenty years in their Tyler home until Peggy lost her extended battle with cancer in January 2004. Just three short weeks later, Billy was stunned by the sudden death of his fifty-seven year old son, Larry, from heart failure. Billy had mentored and coached Larry into a highly successful career as well in the oil exploration business. After these devastating losses, Billy moved to Broadway Plaza, a retirement facility in Fort Worth to be near his only daughter, Alison. He continued to enjoy playing golf, attending many cultural activities in Fort Worth, and visiting his two brothers in Alabama. In need of companionship, Billy sought a lifelong friend, Carolyn Matthews. She had also been widowed and had ties to the oil business. They were married in January 2007 and lived at Broadway Plaza until June 2010. With Billy’s health deteriorating, Carolyn arranged family support in Tulsa, and it was there that Billy lived his final years. Billy Sinclair Flowers is survived by his wife, Carolyn of Tulsa, OK; his daughter Alison Dolezal (Gary) of Mansfield, TX; and two brothers, Lewis W. Flowers of Fort Worth, TX and Jerry H. Flowers (Fumiko) of New Brockton, AL. Billy’s grandchildren include: Garrison Dolezal (Alex), Nicole Dolezal Gambrell (Ryan), and Tyler Dolezal. He is also blessed with four great-grandchildren: Reid, Claire, and Emma Gambrell and Brady Dolezal. A memorial service for Billy Sinclair Flowers is scheduled for Monday, October 29th at 2:00 p.m. at Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel, 3612 E. 91st Street South, Tulsa, OK 74137 (918)291-3500. Hall of Fame article can be viewed at: http://www.oceanstaroec.com/fame/2003/flowers.htm

Billy Sinclair Flowers

September 24, 1924 - October 22, 2012