W. L. "Bill" Sibley - Obituary - Texas - 2004
W.L. “Bill” Sibley
ODESSA — W.L. “Bill” Sibley went home to be with the Lord in the presence of his family and one very special nurse on February 25, 2004, at Medical Center Hospital. Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 28, 2004, at the Eisenhower Church of Christ at 2 p.m. in Odessa. Lynn Money will officiate. Eulogies will be delivered by Miguel Bustilloz and J.C. Nickens. A favorite poem will be read by James Michael Davidson and a prayer once lead by W.L. will be read by Jonn Morgan Sibley. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
W.L. was a Christian and a member of the Church of Christ which meets at the Sherwood Congregation in Odessa, Texas. He worshiped there faithfully for almost 40 years. One of his great joys was reading Scripture as the prelude to a sermon.
W.L. was born in the town of West, Texas, to William Leonard Sibley and Venice Myrtle Waters Sibley on October 3, 1936. His family moved to Odessa in 1944. He attended Odessa High School and joined the United States Navy in January 1955 where he became an aviation ordinance technician. He performed basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Base then attended aviation ordinance school training at Pensacola, Florida. He served at China Lake, California, and performed sea duty on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet; he was a Korean War Veteran. W.L. was honorably discharged in 1959 and subsequently attended Odessa College and Abilene Christian College. He graduated from ACC in 1962 with majors in English, speech, education and psychology. He later attended the University of Texas — El Paso and earned his Masters in school administration.
W.L. Sibley wed Patricia Ann Barber on August 28, 1960, in Odessa, Texas. Their first child, Jonn Morgan Sibley, was born in 1967, and their daughter, Laurie Paige (Sibley) Fulton, was born in 1971.
W.L. began teaching at Permian High School in 1962. He was a second generation ECISD employee. He began his career teaching speech, drama and debate, leading generations of students to state level competitions. He later taught vocational education, where he guided young people to make their way in the world. He served admirably as the halftime announcer for the Permian High School Marching Band, affectionately referred to over the years as “The Voice of Mojo.” By the 1970s, he was the official Master of Ceremonies at every Permian High School graduation commencement until his retirement from teaching in 1992. It was a great honor for him to be voted by his colleagues as the Teacher of the Year on two separate occasions.
W.L. lent his voice talent to the local airwaves in numerous capacities over the years. His first foray into radio was at KRKS in Ridgecrest, California, in the 1950s. Later he worked in various capacities at numerous Odessa stations, including KRIG, KOYL and KQIP. In the 1970s, he co-anchored a morning radio program with Don Ericson — “The Early Birds Show” on station KQIP,