June 18, 2023 - Legacy.com -
Roy Dell Walthall III suffered catastrophic brain damage on Friday, June 9th and passed away June 16th 2023. Roy lived the most amazing life and will be remembered and loved forever by all those whose lives he touched.
He was born June 15, 1951 in Waco, Texas to Alma Louise Ashleman and Roy Dell Walthall Jr. Alma was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Roy Jr. worked for the M.K.T. Railroad in Bellmead, which fueled a lifelong passion for trains in his son.
In the early 90's, Roy strove to bring High Speed Rail to Texas, liaising between the City of Waco and the Texas Triangle High Speed Rail Project, and even running for the state legislature twice.
Roy pioneered the 'wishbone' route for the original high speed rail project, leading the charge for Waco to not only be one of the stops, but to become the central maintenance hub of the proposal. Working on that project allowed Roy to merge his lifelong interests in rail and politics, and to advocate on behalf of his hometown of Waco. When the project was terminated, he decided to move on to the next phase of his life.
Roy used his two decades of experience in politics as a foundation to enlighten over 7000 students to become better civic citizens, teaching Texas and American Government for twenty-seven years at McLennan Community College.
Upon retirement, Roy set-out to finish what he started nearly fifty years ago in the Texas Legislature, rewriting the Texas State Constitution of 1876 with colleagues from MCC. He also wrote four books.
Roy attended graduate school at East Texas State, where he earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He was selected, along with two hundred fifty other young leaders across the nation, to serve as a Presidential Management Intern under President Jimmy Carter, working at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He served in the early 1980's as City Manager for the Central Texas cities of Meridian and Mart.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Tamra Hellen Walthall; his daughter Telly Rae Ramsey, a teacher at University High School and McLennan Community College; his son Rydell Dexter Walthall, a Ph. D. student at UT-Austin; his granddaughter Winifred Thea Ramsey; godson Christopher Lammert; and nieces and nephews - Beverly, Walter, Warren, Donny, Judy, Joni, Danny, and Cheryl.
Roy's funeral will take place at the Bellmead funeral home on Tuesday, June 20 at 10:30 a.m., with internment following at Oakwood Cemetery.
Photo credit: Linkedin