Billy Gene Capps

Graveside committal services for Billy Gene Capps will be held at 10:00 AM, Sat., July 26, 2025 in the Portales Cemetery.

Billy Gene Capps, 85, passed from this life peacefully on Friday, July 4, 2025 at his home in Willis, Texas.  He was born Jan 2, 1940, in Portales, New Mexico, the youngest of eight children to N. Belle (Deaver) and J. Willis Capps. Bill grew up in Portales and Truth or Consequences before graduating from Portales High School in 1958. One year later, he married Emma Bea Wood and they remained together until her passing in 1980. Together, they had two sons, Kevin and Darin Capps.  Bill later married Carolyn Sue Johnson in Alvin, Texas. They lived together happily until his recent death.  
Upon graduation, Bill went to work for the Portales Tribune working the presses for that newspaper.  Not long after, he went into the telephone business working as a contract cable splicer which allowed him and his family to travel many areas of the country. He eventually went to work directly for Bell Telephone as an engineer and later for AT&T and remained with them until his retirement in 1999.
After retiring, he joined the Telephone Pioneers Club which performed several volunteer charity projects. He served as both Vice-President and later President of his chapter.  He loved to play golf and played at every opportunity. He had many hobbies over the years such as camping, watercraft, and model airplane building/flying, but probably his biggest interest was in automobiles. He was an excellent ‘home’ mechanic and had rebuilt several engines over his life and collected several older vehicles. He later took a keen interest with his father-in-law in collecting vintage Model T’s and Model A’s. For several years he, his wife Sue and her father were steady members of Houston Model A Restorers Club and Cedar Creek Model A Ford Club participating in many car shows, parades and touring events.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Capps; two sons and daughter-in-laws, Kevin and Peggy Capps of Houston, Texas. Darin and Marrieta Capps of San Felipe, Phillipines; seven grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren; one brother Jimmy Capps of Dumas, Texas. He is preceded in Death by his parents; his first wife Bea Capps; two sisters Wanda Gregg and Loreta Owen; Four brothers Kenneth Capps, Wallace Capps, Melvin Capps and Donald Capps.

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