Richard Lee "Billie" Ball, 87, was called to his heavenly rest on Sunday, July 7, 2019.  Richard was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Houston on October 29, 1931 but the bulk of his life was spent in & around the Tomball area.  He graduated from Tomball High School, Class of '51, then answered Uncle Sam's call to serve in the U.S. Army.  He was assigned to the 764th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion at Fort William Davis Canal Zone, Panama.  With an honorable discharge as a PFC, Richard returned to Tomball in 1954, married in 1955, & spent the next few years working for Hughes Tool Company.

In 1959, Richard attended & graduated from Texas Barber College.  First renting a small building at what is now FM 1960 & Stuebner Airline, then buying a building & opening his own shop one block away, in front of the family's home, he established what would be a 37-year career as a barber for the Champions & Klein communities.  As well as being a successful barber, he dabbled in leatherwork, making saddles, belts, & bullwhips.  He also became a respected antique furniture dealer, all of which was done out of his humble barber shop & family home.  His personal passion was fishing; he wet a line every chance he could at the various area lakes, & later, at his own stock tank on the family land in Hockley.  He delighted in sharing that passion with his children, and later on, his grandchildren, teaching them how to hook a worm, thread a cork, & cast like a pro.

1998 brought Richard back to the immediate Tomball/Rosehill area, where he & his wife, Bernice, built their final home.  They spent their well-deserved retirement enjoying their four grandchildren, gardening, & taking recreational trips with various senior groups, including an Alaskan cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary in 2005.  And, thanks to his son, Daryn, Richard became actively involved in pigeon racing, winning several racing awards throughout the years.  Richard was never happier than when he spent his days outside, riding the property line in his Gator, checking for fence damage, maintaining his garden, tending to their small cattle herd, or "hanging over the fence" visiting with neighbor friends.  It's these friends, along with his loving family, that will miss him dearly.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents, William & Cleo Ball, & the love of his life, his wife of 62 years, Bernice Ball.  He is survived by his children Sharla Gist & husband Greg, Daryn Ball & wife Christy; grandchildren Erin Roberts & husband Garrett, Brett Ball, Sean Gist, & Kelly Gist; great-grandson Jett Roberts; also a host of family & friends.

The family will receive visitors on Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., at Klein Funeral Home, Tomball, Texas.  Service to celebrate Richard's life will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, July 11, 2019, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Spring, Texas.   Graveside service immediately following at Salem Lutheran Cemetery, Tomball, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church Building Fund or the Salem Lutheran Cemetery fund.