William Stanley Adkins Obituary (1949 - 2019)

WILLIAM (Bill) STANLEY ADKINS was born on April 22, 1949 in El Paso, Texas to Thomas Spencer and Ellen Louise Cobbs Adkins. He fought a courageous two-year battle with colon cancer and went peacefully from the loving arms of brother and sister-in-love, Jim and Nancy Adkins in their Houston home, into the tender loving arms of our Lord Jesus on October 2, 2019. Bill came to know Jesus personally at age seven in El Paso. At age nine, August 1958, Bill and the Adkins Family moved to Hong Kong to serve as Southern Baptist missionaries. Bill attended British schools and, being exposed to the many international cultures in Hong Kong, he learned not only to speak 'British' but also Cantonese and French. Travels to and from Hong Kong took Bill and the family through several Asian, Mid-Eastern, and European countries, giving Bill further exposure to numerous cultures and lands. Bill graduated high school from Morrison Academy in Taichung, Taiwan where he excelled in choir, soccer and other sports. Graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1970 with a degree in Radio & TV Broadcasting, Bill continued his TV broadcasting career with KSMTV in El Paso, where he also took care of 'Grandma' Adkins in her last years. Bill was married to a childhood neighbor girl, Leslie Williams, for 15 years. He changed from TV broadcasting to multiple responsibilities in operations with Continental Airlines. During these years, Bill and Leslie travelled frequently to Europe, the Mid-East, Asia, Pacific Islands and other locations. With his adventurous spirit, they motorcycled and camped across New Zealand, scuba-dived on sunken WWII warships in Truk Island, Micronesia and other exotic islands. Bill joined a friend in the upholstery business and later formed his own upholstery company - The Coverall Shop which started in El Paso, and later moved to service the Fort Worth Metroplex area where his parents lived after serving 26 years on foreign mission fields. With his multi-cultural background and big servant heart, Bill became active with the Texas Baptist Men and travelled to disaster-stricken areas to share God's great love and message of salvation by providing food, water, and other needs, on a massive scale (eg. for over 10,000 refugees on the Iraq / Turkey border). Having a great sense of humor, Bill would brighten up any gathering of folks. He kept up with the latest news and sports and was a great conversationalist in any group. Cowboys and Texas Rangers were his favorite teams...and later became an Astros fan. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Tommy and Ellen Adkins, and survived by his siblings and their spouses: Jim & Nancy Adkins (Houston), Michael & Joyce Adkins (Hong Kong), Jeanne & David Williams (Edmonton, Canada), and six nephews and nieces and six grandnieces and grandnephews whom he loved. His deep desire to share God's love continued beyond his last breath as he wore his favorite T-shirt that read in big letters "Y'ALL NEED JESUS". His body was donated to medical science, again, helping others. A Memorial Service will be held October 14, 1:00pm in the Hankamer Chapel at Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway, Houston, TX 77057. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Missions at Second Baptist Church.