William Claude Stapp

William Claude Stapp III, "Bill" or just "WC" to many who knew him, was born on October 28th, 1933, in Mangum, Oklahoma to William Claude Stapp II and Mildred Coleman Stapp. He passed away on June 9th, 2021, in Rowlett, Texas.

Bill was an only child, and fatherless after age 1, growing up on a family farm in Duke, Oklahoma with his many cousins. During his early years, while his mother went to study and work as a teacher, he spent his youth on the farm with his grandparents. Later, Mildred's teaching job moved them around living mostly in Oklahoma and Texas with a couple of years spent in Mississippi. He graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 1953 and was always proud of being a Coyote, attending his 55th reunion in 2008.

Bill enlisted in the army after graduation and had many stories from his days on base in Massachusetts including playing for the football team at his post. While in the Army, he was called 'Tex' due to his Texas roots, tall stature, and accent. Once he left the army, he moved to California and joined Hughes Aircraft and earned an associate degree in electronics. While in California, he met and married his first wife Bernice. He was always a bit of a gambler going back to his teens, so after a few years he was drawn to becoming a craps dealer and they moved to Las Vegas to start a new life. Unfortunately, Bernice passed away due to cancer, shortly thereafter, following only a few years of marriage.

After Bernice's death, Bill met and married Trish Nelson on July 28th, 1966. They had two children, Zane Alexander Stapp in 1968, and Quentin Armstrong Stapp in 1970. Education was important to the family. Bill and Trish were very proud of the boys and their many educational and professional achievements. Zane went on to become a teacher like his grandmother and earned two masters' degrees including a principal certificate. Quentin became a doctor and PGA golf professional.

Bill spent 44 years in working in Vegas casinos, mostly somewhere near a craps table. From a young craps dealer at Binion's downtown in the 60's, to his last gig as a box man at the "new" MGM starting in 1999, he had a lifetime of colorful stories from his time in the pit. In total he would work at a dozen or more "joints" in town and would tell everyone he got to quit at a couple before being run off. He spent many years at the Imperial Palace before working his last 3 years "on the box" and retiring in 2002 from the MGM Grand.

He is survived by his two sons, Zane Stapp of Royce City TX, and Quentin Stapp and wife Jodi Stapp, of Cincinnati, OH. Additionally, Grandpa Bill, as he was known in his later years, had five grandchildren, Carissa Small, and Westin Stapp in Texas, and Kesler, Laney, and Greta Stapp from Ohio. Finally, Nora and Xaryah Small were his first two great-grandchildren, whom he loved very much. He was preceded in death by his wife Trish Stapp and daughter-in-law Sherry Stapp.

A brief graveside service will be on June 25th at 10AM at Palm Mortuary Northwest at 6701 Jones Blvd.., Las Vegas, NV 89131. Friends and family are encouraged to come. The family may be contacted through Zane at zstapp68@aol.com. Bill Stapp loved to share stories, so if you have a story about him, the family encourages you to reach out to Zane.