Obituary of Bill L. Giles

Bill L. Giles, age 88, passed away Wednesday afternoon, August 20, 2014, at his home in Hampton, GA. Bill was born on June 10, 1926 in Indiahoma, Oklahoma to Lawrence Johnson Giles and Mamie (Logan) Giles. He was a 1944 graduate of Lawton High School. Bill served in the U.S. Navy during the latter part of World War II and received an honorable discharge after the war ended. He attended the University of Oklahoma from 1948-1950 and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was licenced by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors from October 1, 1965, until his death. Bill went to work for Phillips Petroleum Company, now ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66, in 1952 and worked there until his retirement in 1985. His primary work was in the Computing Department of Phillips from its inception in 1957. Since his retirement, Bill has enjoyed working with personal computers, watching and feeding birds in his yard, seeing the sights of the Atlanta area with his second wife Lora and his daughter Jill and her husband David, and visits with his daughters Janet and Judy and their families. Bill was an avid fan of the University of Oklahoma Sooners football team from the era of Bud Wilkinson to the current coach, Bob Stoops. Bill is survived by his daughters, Janet L. Drake and her husband David, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Jill A. Christie and her husband David, of Fayetteville, Georgia, and Judy L. Brown and her husband James, of Coweta, Oklahoma; 1 step-son, Jim Gresham and his wife Gail; 7 grandchildren, Jennifer Siemens (Kevin), Justin Drake (Lenore), Elisabeth Forbes (Allan), Wesley Christie (Amber), Courtney Johnson, Laura Johnson (Josh) and Logan Brown (Maranda); 13 great-grandchildren ranging in age from 13 to 2; 2 nieces and 2 nephews, and a dear friend and caregiver, Rosella Lockett of Fayetteville, GA. Bill was predeceased by his first wife, Ella Mae Morrison Giles, to whom he was married in 1946 until her death in 1999. Bill was then married to Lora Joiner Gresham Giles in 2000 until she predeceased him in 2012. Bill was also predeceased by a sister, Mary Louise Suffern of Lawton, Oklahoma, in 1984. Viewing will be from 9 AM to 8 PM on Monday, August 25, 2014 at Wright-Brown Family Funeral Home. Funeral services celebrating Bill’s life will be at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at the chapel at Wright-Brown Family Funeral Home with Robert Hamm officiating. Interment will follow next to his first wife, Ella Mae, at Vernon Cemetery in Coweta, Oklahoma. You may view the obituary and send condolences to Bill’s family online @ www.brownfamilyfuneralhome.com. The family of Bill L. Giles entrusted his care and services to Wright-Brown Family Funeral Home, 210 S. Broadway, Coweta, Oklahoma 74429, 918-486-5515.