Willie Homer Gallops

Willie Homer Gallops Jr. passed away on Sunday, September 20, 2026, leaving behind a life defined by family, service, hard work, faith, curiosity, and an enduring willingness to make room for others.

Willie attended Hollins School in Alabama before later earning his GED. Education remained important throughout his life. He completed extensive technical and supervisory training during his career in the United States Air Force and, in 1983, earned an associate degree in HVAC from Cedar Valley Community College, now Dallas College Cedar Valley. The accomplishment was particularly special because he earned his college degree the same year his two oldest children graduated from high school.

Willie proudly served 20 years in the United States Air Force. His career included assignments in the United States and overseas and increasingly responsible positions in vehicle operations and transportation. His military service was recognized with numerous decorations, including two Air Force Commendation Medals, the Vietnam Service Medal with a Bronze Service Star, the National Defense Service Medal, and five Air Force Good Conduct Medals. After retiring from the Air Force, Willie began a second long career with DeSoto ISD. He spent 27 years in the district's Maintenance Department, primarily working in HVAC, before retiring from the district as well.

Hard-working barely begins to describe Willie. He had a strong personality, an enormous work ethic, and a seemingly endless ability to figure things out. He was the man who seemed to know something about almost everything. He could carry on a conversation with nearly anyone on nearly any subject, whether or not he had ever formally studied it. Those who knew him well might also describe him more simply: grumpy but fun. There could be some gruffness on the outside, but there was plenty of humor underneath it.

Willie had a special gift for working with young people. While the family lived in North Dakota, he served as Cubmaster of a Cub Scout pack. Later, he devoted approximately two decades of service to his church as a Royal Rangers Commander, mentoring boys and teaching practical skills, responsibility, leadership, and service. An outdoorsman at heart, he was deeply involved in the Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship and attained the level of Wilderness Frontiersman.

That commitment to young people extended far beyond organized programs. Willie and Carolyn regularly opened their home to children who needed a safe place to stay, including Suzanne and others, some from Pleasant Hills Children's Home. They helped raise their granddaughter Karli, who became a daughter in every meaningful sense within their family. Willie was proud of adopting his youngest son, and he was especially pleased when his daughter later adopted Justin, welcoming another grandson into the family.

Few things mattered more to Willie than his children and grandchildren. One especially meaningful moment came when his oldest son was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force and Willie, himself a career Air Force veteran, had the honor of pinning on his son's lieutenant bars. His family remained one of the greatest sources of pride in his life.

Willie and his wife, Carolyn, shared 63 years of marriage. Their life together included raising a family, military assignments, travel, careers, church service, cooking, and countless traditions built over more than six decades.

Cooking was one of those traditions. Willie loved Mexican food, but he especially loved making it with Carolyn. Together they prepared tacos and enchiladas, sharing the work in the kitchen. Thanksgiving and Christmas were also joint productions. Willie took particular pride in his cornbread dressing, sweet potato pies, and dumplings. Even the dumplings reflected their personalities: Carolyn liked chicken in hers; Willie did not.

He loved woodworking and could build just about anything. His projects included clocks, shelves, cabinets, and even an entire bedroom suite built from scratch. He also enjoyed beadwork and collected hats, knives, guns, antiques, and Western books.

And Willie loved Westerns. He could watch the same ones over and over, probably thousands of times through the years, and never seemed to tire of them. He also loved traveling and made those trips educational experiences for his children, teaching them about the history, geography, people, and places they encountered along the way.

Willie was a natural storyteller. There seemed to be a story attached to every person he had met, every place he had traveled, and every chapter of his life. One favorite memory for his children was the slide show he created from his time in Vietnam. Through his photographs and stories, he allowed them to see a part of their father's life they otherwise could only have imagined.

He was also deeply devoted to his family and had a particular love for his cats. Whether building something in his workshop, telling a story, cooking beside Carolyn, mentoring a young person, watching yet another Western, or explaining something no one quite remembered asking about, Willie was unmistakably Willie.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Carolyn S. Gallops; his children, Michael Gallops and wife Jill of Rowlett, Texas; Teresa Gallops of Malakoff, Texas; David Gallops and wife Shannon of Eustace, Texas; Suzanne Kappelman; and Karli Royko and husband Ben of Yorkville, Illinois.

He is also survived by 17 grandchildren: Miranda Evans, Brittany Ross, Chase Gallops, Sharayah Burnett, Taylor Phillips, Carlos Gallops, Nathan Kappelman, Karilyn Gallops, Cy Kappelman, Kaci Gallops, Justin Gallops, Chyanne Benitez, Hopey Gallops, Dylan Felts, Alizay Gallops, Scarlett Craig, and Alex Lee; and 15 great-grandchildren: Jordan Jones, Kason Evans, Lyric Gallops, Braylon Jones, Luke Burnett, Gideon Burnett, Logan Furr, Mattie Burnett, Anthony Benitez, Luka Evans, Jackson Evans, Henry Burnett, Aziza Gantzer, Hayden Lee, and Olivia Lee.

Willie was preceded in death by his father, Willie Homer Gallops Sr.; his mother, Ethel Gustin Catchings; his brother, Caleb Gallops; and his sister, Nellie Howell.

His was a long life of service and work, but his legacy is larger than either of his careers. It can be found in the family he loved, the children he welcomed, the young people he mentored, the things he built with his hands, the stories he passed down, and the generations who will continue telling those stories.