Bill Adair

William "Bill" Crosby Adair was born in Florence, Alabama on September 8, 1957. He spent his early years in Florence, then moved to Lubbock, Texas with his mother and sister. Most of his childhood was spent in Lubbock and Choctaw, Oklahoma.  His family moved to El Paso when Bill was in 8th grade. He lived in El Paso until he was 19, when he enlisted in The Navy.

Bill served 4 years in the Navy as an aircraft mechanic. He was stationed in San Diego, and aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Constitution. There's a saying; “that very, very few get to see a sunset from the back of a Navy ship.” A part of his job was giving the “thumbs up” to the pilot just before takeoff from the flight deck.  While stationed on the “Connie”, Bill received the Sailor of the Month award.

The GI Bill was the reason for joining the Navy. Bill wanted to obtain a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After an honorable discharge from the Navy, he moved back to El Paso and began attending the University of Texas at El Paso. Bill met Lu in a political science class his first semester. They married one year later and remained married for 42 years.

Upon graduation from UTEP, Bill worked in engineering, gradually moving to information systems. In his career, he never worked for an American company in America. He worked for a Japanese company in El Paso, then an American company in Juarez, Mexico, then a French company in Plano, Texas. He excelled at problem solving, frequently coming up with solutions that the computer vendors were unable to.

During these working years Bill and Lu adopted their two children internationally. Carlos, their son, was born in Ecuador, and Rakshita, their daughter, was born in India. Bill and Lu traveled to both countries to bring their children home. Bill treasured his children. He home schooled them. He and Lu traveled extensively so the kids could learn firsthand. They had a goal of getting Carlos and Rakshita to all 50 states. They made it 45. One of their favorite places to visit was the coast in Florence, Oregon. They joined a group of families who had adopted through the same agency, Holt International Children's Services. It felt like heaven on earth.

Bill was a lifelong learner and avid reader of philosophy, history, world religions, and more. He enjoyed deep discussions with friends. He created a web site called faith commons as a way of offering discussions with others.

He and Lu took up photography as a hobby. He dove in like his usual self, all the way. After a few years he had a photographic printer, studio lights, and a mat cutter. Bill edited and printed their photos, as well as mounting them and sometimes framing them. He and Lu also operated a business called Views of Life Photography. They sold their photos at art fairs and online. Bill entered the Creative Arts competition of the State Fair of Texas. Over several years he won first place two times, third place two times, and honorable mention two times.

Bill left this earth on March 13, 2025. He is in heaven with the Lord. He is probably discussing philosophy and world religions with Jesus.

There will be a memorial service to celebrate Bill’s life at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at Allen Family Funeral Options, officiated by Dr. Terry Cartwright.