William (Bill) Paul Nowlin

William (Bill) Paul Nowlin passed away of sudden cardiac arrest on December 19, 2023, surrounded by his family.  Bill was born on June 28, 1944 in Taylor, Texas to his mother, Elva Jeane Landrum Nowlin and father, Daniel Nowlin.

Bill grew up in several towns in south central Texas and graduated from San Antonio Thomas Edison HS in 1962, lettering in football and being very active building sets and operating lights for school dramas.  He briefly attended college before volunteering to go into the U.S. Army.  Bill proudly received top secret crypto clearance while serving as a military police and courier, having achieved the rank of sergeant.

After serving in Japan and Vietnam, Bill was transferred to Germany, and in December 1966, he married Ingeborg Katerina Stigloher, living near her family while completing his miliary duty.

Upon returning to the United States, Bill set goals to reform criminals.  After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Southwest Texas State University, he worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Huntsville and Seagoville and completed his post-graduate studies at Sam Houston State University. During these years, his family grew to include daughter Denise, in 1971, and son Bruce, in 1975. During the early 1980s, Bill and his family moved to Richardson where he began to work for the Dallas County Adult Probation Department obtaining the title of supervisor. In December 2001, Bill retired to spend more time with his family. He enjoyed volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, worked on improving his photography skills and held various short-term, interesting jobs.

 In 2008, his wife of 41 years passed away.  Shortly after, a dear friend asked Bill to accompany her church on a Habitat for Humanity mission trip to Little Rock, Arkansas. It was there that Bill met Cheryl and was immensely blessed to find love a second time. They married in 2009 and moved to Rockwall where they spent many mornings and evenings enjoying their dogs, backyard birds and watching the Earth come to life. Bill joined the East Trinity Masonic Lodge and was very active serving on the scholarship committee which provides four scholarships to local high schoolers.  In honor of Bill, one of the scholarships has been renamed the “William P. Nowlin Memorial Scholarship” presented by the East Trinity Masonic Lodge.

Bill was a voracious reader, followed politics closely, enjoyed walking and birding, training and playing with his dogs, playing Scrabble and spending time at home.

Bill is preceded in death by his mother Elva Jeane Nowlin, his father Daniel Nowlin, his brother Daniel Nowlin, and his first wife Inge Nowlin.

He is survived by his wife Cheryl Nowlin, his daughter Denise Nowlin Railsback and husband Kevin Railsback, his son Bruce Nowlin and wife Kristen Aston Nowlin, his three grand-daughters, Victoria Railsback, Melanie Railsback and Daisy Nowlin and his two step-daughters, Jana McIntosh and Emily McIntosh.

In honor of Bill’s love of all animals, and his wish for all students to be able to further their educations, donations may be made to

Duck Team 6 DonorPerfect Forms

East Trinity Masonic Lodge #157 Scholarship Fund