Freestone County, Texas
Obituaries


Don Sherwin Willard

Don Sherwin Willard, 70, of Fairfield, died Monday, February 27, 2017 at his 
residence.   Don was born August 20, 1946 in Houston to parents Bert and Evelyn 
Bessie (Emmons) Willard.  Bert had accepted a job in Houston and along with 
Evelyn and their two children Gloria and Irvin accompanied him.  The family 
consisting now of five returned to Fairfield when the work was finished.  Don 
grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1964.  He moved 
to Austin and lived there for a few years while working for the State of Texas.  
He left Austin and moved to Galveston when he accepted a position as a pipe fitter 
with AMOCO Oil Company in Texas City.  He met and married Cathey Ginn, from 
Denham Springs, LA in 1972.  They had one son, Bryan Heath Willard.  Don lived 
in the Texas Gulf Coast area until he retired from AMOCO after 38 years of 
service.  Don was a Master Mason and Past Master of John Mitchell Lodge #1401 
A.F & A.M.  Don and Cathey moved to Fairfield in January 2000.  He remained in 
Fairfield until his death.  Don was preceded in death by his parents.  

Don was an avid reader.  He would read anything he got his hands on.  You 
couldn’t bring up a topic that he didn’t know something about because he read 
books and magazines and even encyclopedias and dictionaries!  His father Bert 
was a master gardener and Don was just like him as far as his love of gardening 
went.  He truly enjoyed planting everything from vegetables and fruit trees to 
flowers and shrubs and watching them grow.  Family and friends alike enjoyed his 
special homemade “Picante Sauce” which he made from the tomatoes, jalapenos and 
onions he raised in his gardens.  

At a very early age Don started playing the piano.  It came natural to him like 
it did with so many of his uncles from the Emmons side of the family.  While he 
never learned to read music and just played “by ear” he had an amazing talent 
because it came from his heart.  He played everything from gospel and jazz to 
easy listening and classical but he loved his country music the best.  Through 
the years, he played with a lot of bands.  Some of his closest and longtime 
friends were in a band they called The Inn Mates.  The band called WestWind was 
formed when Don and other union members went on strike.  The money he made with 
WestWind kept him from losing his home.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife Cathey of Fairfield; a son, Bryan Willard 
of Missouri; granddaughters Hailey and Sarah of Dickinson, TX; a sister, Gloria 
Smith and husband Lester of Fairfield; two brothers, Irvin Willard and wife Mary 
of Houston and Dan Willard of Fairfield.