Billy Ralph Brock, 83, passed away peacefully at home in the late evening hours of Wednesday, December 6, 2017. Born February 25, 1934 in Waco, Texas to William and Mary E. (Harrison) Brock, Billy was a well-established professional and family man who enjoyed travel and the outdoors, especially golf, fishing and hunting with his many friends and family. He graduated from W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi (1952) and earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Texas A&I in Kingsville, becoming the first in his family to attend and graduate from college.
In 1956, Billy met the love of his life, marrying Patricia Ann (Havel) in 1957. For the next sixty years, they would support each other, through life’s ups and downs, chasing dreams and making many memories. As young parents, they were active leaders in the kids’ activities. Billy coached youth baseball, basketball and softball and remained a sports enthusiast throughout his life. He also was a Chief in the Y-Indian Guides and a Leader in the 4-H Club. Billy and Pat were always on the go, when not relocating for employment purposes, they traveled regularly for family vacations throughout the United States. Believing that flying the family to vacation destinations would be more efficient, in 1969, Billy obtained his private pilot license. After an inaugural and eventful round trip from California to Texas, with Pat and their three toddler children serving as co-pilots, Billy retired from flying in 1970. Billy and Pat celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past year.
Billy was a professional engineer. After serving his country for three years in the U.S. Army, in 1959, Billy returned home to Corpus Christi, commuting to nearby Kingsville to complete his formal education while working a city nightshift job to provide for his growing family. Upon graduation, Billy started his professional career with Western Electric working in the US missile systems program for 5 years before accepting a US Federal Civil Service position. He continued with the civil service (Port Hueneme, CA; Beeville, TX; and Corpus Christi, TX) until retiring as Director of Engineers in 1995. Billy received several honors during this near 30-year period, including Texas Society of Professional Engineers’ Engineer of the Year in 1991. In 1996, while building he and Pat’s retirement house, an inquiry and offer from a passer-by, and Billy was in the home construction business. He founded Brock Construction and for the next ten years he built custom homes in the Corpus Christi area, including several that were featured in the annual Parade of Homes, and finally a retirement home for he and Pat.
Billy loved his family and friends. Although love was not in his daily vocabulary, his heart was full of love, passion, and care. He was a leader, disciplinarian, and delegator. Friends often joked that Billy could get more done than most, with just his pointer finger. Often questioned but seldom (or never) wrong, his German inheritance was a strong trait that Billy possessed. He was a devoted Elvis Presley fan.
Known as “Papa” by his 8 grandkids and 10 great grandkids, Billy often joked with them referring to them commonly as “George”. He enjoyed playing card and board games with the young ones, patiently attended numerous competitions, recitals, sporting events, and graduations, and was always up for a golf outing or fishing and hunting trip involving any of his George’s.
Golf, fishing, and hunting were Billy’s passion. He was always in search for that special golf gadget that would produce a longer, straighter shot. In 2014, Billy accomplished the goal of shooting his age in a round of golf with his regular golfing buddies. Being raised on the Gulf Coast, fishing was in Billy’s blood. Whether it involved catching several hundred trout in the shallow bay waters, the big billfish in the deep water, or just piggy perch or blue gill fishing with the kids, Billy always enjoyed being on the water. He fished all the waters along the Texas Gulf Coast and California Coastline as well as several destination locations, including Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Mexico, Florida, and Hawaii, as well as several local lakes and ponds. Billy also hunted the lands. For several decades, he and his late brother-in-law, Sonny, shared a South Texas family lease. There were numerous trips to the lease in search of that big buck or casual bird shooting expedition. However, all trips usually involved putting Billy’s engineering and management talents to use in “fixing up the shack”. Successful destination hunts included elk in New Mexico, duck and geese in South and East Texas, deer and hogs in Laredo, and dove in Argentina. Billy was often accompanied on these expeditions with Pat and other family members. Billy proudly harvested his biggest buck just a few years ago on his son Wayne’s property in South Texas.
Billy also enjoyed traveling with friends and family. He and Pat often traveled across the United States to meet and explore with life-long friends and family. Other than often trips to California to visit friends, and regular “get-away” trips to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Billy and Pat’s many travels included the Cayman Islands (celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with all family members), Hawaii, Grand Bahamas, Argentina, cruise trips through the Caribbean Islands, Bahamas, and Alaska, as well as numerous tours across the United States to visit their daughter, Belinda and her family in Florida, see the changing of the leaves and cherry blossoms along the East Coast, visit Graceland in Tennessee, and see Elvis impersonators in Branson, Missouri.
Billy is preceded in death by his parents, William and Mary Brock; sister Alta Waltrip; mother-in-law and father-in-law Mary and Edmund Havel; sister-in-law Betty “Cookie” George; and brother-in-law Edmond “Sonny” Havel. He leaves behind his beloved wife Patricia Ann; brothers-in-law Darrel Waltrip and Kirk George; sister-in-law Maybelle Farley; daughter Belinda Stump Ewers and her husband Paul; son Wayne Brock and his wife Debby; son Jim Brock and his wife Joan; grandsons Wayne Brock, Jr. and his wife Ashley, Kris Brock and his wife Laura, Tanner Stump and his wife Chelsea, and John Brock; granddaughters Megan (Brock) and her husband David Kemp, Melanie Brock, Mindy (Brock) and her husband Reese O’Connor, and Madison (Stump) and her husband Keith Thompson; 10 great grandchildren; and a host of loving cousins, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
A special thank you to nurses Karen and Julie of Kindred Hospice and Billy’s cousin, Pat Good for their loving care and compassion over the past several months assisting Billy in his bout with pulmonary fibrosis.
Memorial Services are being held at 3:00 PM on Sunday, December 17, 2017 at Seaside Funeral Home – Reid Chapel, 4357 Ocean Drive in Corpus Christi, followed by a Celebration of Life gathering at the home of Wayne and Debby Brock in Corpus Christi. Ashes Interment Services will be at 2:30 PM on Friday, December 29, 2017 at Seaside Funeral Home – Reid Chapel, 4357 Ocean Drive in Corpus Christi.
Dad / Papa, you will be missed, but what a ride and what a hunt! Thanksgiving golf will never be the same.
For those desiring to send flowers, please visit www.castrosflowers.com. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made in the name of Billy R. Brock to Kindred Hospice of Corpus Christi, Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, or a charity of your choice. Also, please revisit this site, where in the days to come, photographs and additional information will outline this wonderful man's life.

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