William McGruder

Sunrise: October 16, 1953 — Sunset: July 30, 2023 WčĐĐčąđ E. MćGĖęĈĉĖ

O BITUARY W ILLIAM E. M C G RUDER was born October 16, 1953 in Tuskegee, Alabama to the parents of Woodrow and Jerline McGruder. He attended Washington Public School and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Tuskegee Institute. For over twenty-one years he worked as an engineer for Texas Instruments in Sherman, Texas. In 2003, he and his wife Virginia relocated to Tuscon, Arizona where he worked as a Chief Engineer for Raytheon Missile and Defense for twenty-two years until his retirement. He was extremely passionate about serving his Lord and Savior and his family, (basketball and football), serving as a Deacon of the Rising Star Ministries, organizing events to strengthen black men and working on Raytheon’s Paveway Missiles and Defense Program. After fighting a good fight against Leukemia, William departed this earthly life on July 30, 2023 to begin his eternal life in Heaven with His heavenly father and family members who have gone before him. He leaves behind to cherish his memories: his loving wife of 40 years Virginia McGruder of Marshall, Texas; his daughter, Sundye Nicole Hayden (husband Cleo Hayden) of Greenville, Texas; sons Darwin Wallace (Sekethia) of Dallas, Texas and Kealon Wallace of Fairfax, Virginia; three brothers Ira Glen, Lorenzo and Quinton of Tuskegee, Alabama; 8 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and his extended church family from Rising Star to include Charles “X” and Patricia Merriex, Tommy and Linda Jackson, Pete and Tina Cordell, Watus and Fran Cooper and a numerous amount of brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, dear friends, colleagues, nieces and nephews.

Saturday, August 12, 2023 11:00 AM G OLDEN G ATE F UNERAL H OME 4155 South R.L. Thornton Frwy. Dallas, Texas 75224

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S PECIAL T RIBUTE To my best friend, love of my life, confidant and heartbeat, you will always have a special place in my heart. What we shared over 40 years was very special. I will forever be grateful to God for placing you in my life. Because God placed you in my life, we shared so many wonderful experiences I could have imagined or dreamed possible. From the trips we have taken, to the laughs we shared. You will always be near and dear to my heart. So be at rest my love until we meet again. Love always and forever. Your Loving Wife

S ILENT , S TRONG D AD He never looks for praises He’s never one to boast He just goes on quietly working For those he loves the most His dreams are seldom spoken His wants are very few And most of the time his worries Will go unspoken too He’s there…. A firm foundation Through all our storms of life

A sturdy hand to hold to In times of stress and strife A true friend we can turn to When times are good or bad One of our greatest blessings, The man that we call Dad. K EALON

Well done, thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of the Lord. Matthew 25:21 KJV A L IGHT A light is from our household gone, A voice we loved is stilled, A place is vacant in our home, Which never can be filled.

God gave us a beautiful father, A father who never grew old, You were always there With a helping hand, Help us now to accept His plan. We miss you now, our hearts are sore, As time goes by, we miss you more. Your loving smile, your gentle face, No one can take our "Father's Place". May the choirs of the angels receive you and may you have rest and peace everlasting. Amen. “Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress and for their children, it will be a refuge”. Proverbs 14:26 D ARWIN “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”. P SALM 116:15 N ICOLE

P AW P AW Thank you for the hours you spent playing computer games with us after a long days work. Thank you for buying us our first fishing rods and teaching us the perfect cast before taking us on our first fishing trip. Thank you for always showing up to every special event in our lives. Thank you for all the love and support that will forever be cherished and remembered. U NCLE Words cannot express how I feel right now. To know him and have him in your life, was a true blessing. He was like a dad to me. He was one of my biggest supporters, cheerleader and confidante. I was extremely glad I had the opportunity to share my biggest accomplishment with him. To know he was proud of me, made my heart smile, I asked him to fight and he told me he was. But I knew he was tired and in pain. Uncle. Not sure how I’m going to get over losing you. Sleep well, until we meet again in the next life. Dr. Lane W ILLIAM You are so special to us. We could al ways count on you. Regardless of the circumstances, you loved us uncondi tionally. You were the kindest, most gentle and best friend we knew. You will forever hold a special place in our hearts. We love and will miss you. Rest In Peace “Brother” The Pullums Forever in our hearts, We love you Paw Paw

William You had such a wonderful smile, personality and big heart. You lived such a beautiful life, you will always be remembered and in our heart. Love Billy and Janetta Coats Family.

I will miss your beautiful smile R.I.P. Minnie

You may no longer be here, but you are still in our hearts because your soul lives on in the people you touched. Forever in our hearts, The Diaz Family. I will miss sending the drone just one more time, you are home. Gentle, kind and loving. Gone but not forgotten. We will miss you Gruder. Echo and Donnie Uncle Gruder You were a great listener and confidant. You always made anyone feel good no matter their pain. I will miss you forever. Much Love, Torrie. William You were a good and loving brother-in-law that was more like a brother. I miss you. Annie R.I.P. Huey

When God allows extraordinary trails, he gives extraordinary comfort. The family of William E. McGruder wishes to acknowledges with deep appreciation the many kind messages, floral tributes, prayers and all other expressions of kindness during this time of bereavement. May God bless each of you. The family also wishes to express our sincere gratitude for the excellent care given by the clinics, Banner Hospital, the doctors and nurses. Your works have not gone unnoticed and we are forever grateful and thankful - The Family

A CTIVE P ALLBEARERS Rodney Pullum Jamal Taylor Nicolas Wingo Cleo Hayden Tommy Jackson H ONORARY P ALLBEARERS Kealon Wallace Charles Merriex Darwin Wallace Kennedy Smith, Jr. F INAL RESTING P LACE Laurel Land Memorial Park Dallas, Texas Monday, August 14, 2023

—F INAL A RRANGEMENTS E NTRUSTED TO —

John Beckwith, CEO & Owner Dallas, Texas (214) 941-7332 Fort Worth, Texas (817) 478-9555 Tallulah, Louisiana (318) 574-6100