Willis Dale Warner, 82, died Sept. 29, 2022 in Lampasas, after a battle with cancer.
A memorial service will be held at Sneed-Carnley Funeral Chapel at 10 a.m. Oct. 8. Burial will follow at Hines Chapel Cemetery in Adamsville.
Willis was born on Feb. 29, 1940 in Izoro to Charles Everett Warner and Ada Elizabeth Hammett Warner.
He began first grade with Miss Holly Parsons. He then attended grade school in Levita, and graduated from Jonesboro High School in 1959.
Aflter high school he moved back to Izoro and began his own business as an independent contractor, installing plumbing, heating and air-conditioning in new construction homes in Copperas Cove.
Two years later in 1961, he joined the Air Force, where he served for four years.
While there, he completed Heating Specialist Training at U.S. Naval Schools Construction in Port Hueneme, California. He then served at Osan Air Base in South Korea at the hospital as the boiler plant operator.
In 1963, he was assigned to 65th Strategic Aerospace at Walker Airforce Base in Roswell, New Mexico. He was a member of the AeroClub and completed his first solo flight in 1964.
Willis married Betty Ann Wilkie in Westville, Oklahoma, on April 2, 1966.
After serving in the Air Force, he attended several aeronautical training schools, receiving diplomas and certificates from Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Piper Aircraft Corp., Lockhaven, Pennsylvania; General Electric Aircraft Engine Sectional Maintenance, Evendale Technical Training School, Cincinnati, Ohio; Lycoming Service School, Williamsport, Pennsylvania; and General Motors, Indianapolis, Indiana.
He worked in Beaumont, Texas, Olathe, Kansas and Dallas, Texas in aeronautics as a mechanic, inspector and trainer. He wrote a training manual on the CF-6 jet engine and taught training school at Southwest Airmotive, Dallas Love Field, where he was promoted to foreman of the CF-6 product line.
In 1975, he left the aeronautics industry to move to Izoro to his ranch where he raised cattle and worked at Evant ISD as the school bus maintenance mechanic and as a bus driver when his daughter Annette began kindergarten.
Willis later worked as plant maintenance supervisor at Deck Boat in Gatesville. He then was the owner and operator of Warner’s Garage in Evant.
From there, he worked for Santa Fe Oil and Pipeline on the Tonkawa barge maintaining the diesel engines. He also worked as an auto mechanic and service manager for Benny Boyd Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep, Hoffpauir Chevrolet, Hoffpauir Ford, Gene Jones Ford and Hal Harton Ford, all of Lampasas; also, Highland Autoplex, Maxwell Auto and Sue Harton Chevrolet, where he retired at age 62. He had earned training certifications from Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet.
Later, Willis worked part time for Tommy Foster, Norris Monroe, Jeff Cockburn and Tom York in Lampasas. He rebuilt engines on cars, trucks, boats, heavy equipment, airplanes and helicopters. He was fascinated with all things mechanical and electrical, and was meticulous in breaking them down and putting them back together.
Willis loved bluegrass, country, and rock and roll. He played the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, mandolin, harmonica and balalaika. For many years he played music at the annual Sausage Fest at the Lutheran Church in Copperas Cove. He also enjoyed playing at the Oatmeal Music Fest, Adamsville Music Hall and Pearl Bluegrass Jam.
He was a proud native Texan, whose third-greatgrandfather Capt. Andrew Bell Caddell fought at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Willis was preceded in death by his wife.
He is survived by his daughter, Annette Moore and husband James Moore; son, Dale Everett Warner; a grandson, James Edwin “Jem” Moore; and a granddaughter, Torri Alexis Gutierrez Warner.
Memorials may be made to Pearl Community Center, Bluegrass Jam, c/o Bettie Blakley, 2082 FM 1690, Gatesville, TX 76528 or Baylor Scott and White Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center, 2401 S. 31st St., Temple, TX 76508.
