William Lee (Bill) Thedford, 86, of Early, passed away on March 26, 2020 in Brownwood.

Bill was born in Bryson, Texas to W.L. (Bub) Thedford and Virginia Keyser Thedford on July 30, 1933.  He was a graduate of Bryson High School, class of 1950. After serving his country in the Army, he continued his education at Abilene Christian University where he received his Bachelor of Education in 1954 and later his Master of Education in 1968.  He married Ramona Sapaugh on July 22, 1975 in Clyde.

Bill spent his life in service to others.  He was a career educator and coach until his retirement in 2001. He was a member of the Early Church of Christ for more than 40 years, serving as a deacon & elder.  He was also a dedicated member of both the Kiwanis Clubs of Pecan Valley and Clyde.

Family was vitally important to him and he enjoyed full, rich relationships with them. He loved going to church, watching football & Fox news, playing dominos with his buddies, working crossword puzzles, eating Ramona’s cooking (especially the sweets!) and taking the grandkids to sell cans for shopping sprees at The Dollar Tree.

Bill is preceded in death by his father W.L. (Bub) Thedford, mother Virginia Thedford, father-in-law Marvin Sapaugh, mother-in law Gwendolyne Sapaugh, sister Sue Thedford Higginbotham, brother-in-law Dick Higginbotham, brother-in-law Marvin Sapaugh, and nephew Stephen Sapaugh.

Bill is survived by his wife Ramona Thedford of Early, son and daughter-in-law Clay and Dory Thedford of Ft Worth; son and daughter-in-law Matthew & Jaymie Thedford of Grapevine; daughter and son-in-law Tracy and Barrett Allen of Amarillo; grandchildren Cade Thedford, Darren Allen, Danielle Thedford, Reese Landreth, Angie Allen, and Lincoln Allen; as well as, his cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, and many beloved friends.

In lieu of flowers, his last request was for donations to be given to the Early Church of Christ.

A Celebration of Life memorial will be held at a later date so that we can all celebrate and rejoice and share all of our memories.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to everyone for their calls, texts, and prayers during this time.

Condolences, memories and tributes can be offered to the family online at heartlandfuneralhome.net