Billy Ted Fort

An open visitation for Billy Ted (“Bill”) Fort, 73, of Gainesville, will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at the Geo. J. Carroll Funeral Home in Gainesville.

Bill was born on December 21, 1945 in Shawnee, Oklahoma to William Graves Fort and Velma Louise (Burrows) Fort.  He passed away on June 22, 2019 in Gainesville, Texas, after a 12-year battle of kidney failure and a short battle with cancer.  Bill was predeceased by his parents, his step-father, Earl Lea, and his granddaughter Lea Elaine Fort.

Bill and his wife, Ethylene McPherson Fort, would have celebrated their 35 ^th wedding anniversary next month on July 27 ^th .  Bill is survived by his step-mother, Betty Fort.  Bill is also survived by his son Tommy Fort, his daughter-in-law Julie Fort and grandsons Davis Fort and Reed Fort; his daughter Laura Beaudin and husband Bryan and their children Ryan Beaudin, Brianne (Beaudin) Waltherscheid and her husband Dustin; daughter Elaine Martin, her husband Billy Martin, their children Kolbi Martin and Blaine Martin, Mariah Sutherland, her husband Stuart and their son Kaid Sutherland: Brother Ray Lea and his wife Margret and their three children and his brother Randy Lea.

Bill was a graduate of Gainesville High School in 1963.  He furthered his education at Cooke County Junior College.  He began his life-long career as a tool and dye maker/machinist for K&D Tooling in Gainesville and eventually started and ran his own successful business, Redstone Tooling until his retirement.

Bill, and good friend, Tom Watson, co-founded Gainesville’s first civil defense/Skywarn system to help provide storm warning alerts and sirens to the city of Gainesville that is still used today.  Bill served as Executive Director for many of his 40 years of service.  He spent many evenings storm watching with his son, Tommy Fort.  Bill was a graduate of the Gainesville Citizens Police Academy and also ran for City Council.  Bill spent almost a decade volunteering as a baseball coach for the Gainesville Boys Club, with 2 of those years spent coaching his own son.

As a young man, Bill enjoyed riding dirt bikes, motorcycles with the Free Whelers motorcycle club, and racing muscle cars with his friends.  Later in life he enjoyed deer hunting in Wyoming with his mother, Betty Fort and his grandfather.  He loved camping and fishing with his family at Lake Texoma and Beaver’s Bend, photography, skiing and snow mobile riding.  He and his wife, Ethylene Fort enjoyed many cross-county motorcycle trips, especially those taken together to their favorite place, Red River, New Mexico.  His final hobby during retirement was playing Texas Hold’em Poker at Win Star Casino.  He was an excellent and respected player and is missed by his poker friends.

Bill specifically wanted to express his thanks and appreciation to all the staff at Davita Dialysis Cottage in Gainesville for their 12 years of excellent care.  You were more than great nurses, you were his good friends.

Donations in Bill Fort’s memory may be made to www.kidneyfund.org or American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852.