Bill Youngblood Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Bill Youngblood, a multiple award-winning journalist who served readers of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for more than three and a half decades as an editor, editorial writer, columnist and sports writer, died June 26 at a local hospital. He was 90. Bill was born on Aug. 8, 1931, in Fort Worth, the son of Frank and Grace Youngblood. His parents divorced when he was 4 years old. His mother later married Don Wilmeth. He attended public schools in Fort Worth and graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 1949. After high school, he attended Midwestern University (known, during his freshman year, as Hardin College), leaving the college midway through his sophomore year to join the U.S. Navy. During that time, he went through boot camp and then teleman school in San Diego, Calif., served aboard the USS Alstede (AF-48) for 22 months, then at Navy Post Office 850 in Yokohama, Japan, for nearly 17 months, receiving an honorable discharge as Teleman Second Class on Oct. 24, 1954. He returned to Midwestern, where he majored in history and government, minored in English and journalism, served as sports editor, then editor, of the campus newspaper, sports information director of both Midwestern and the now-defunct Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, met and married D.Anne Lester of Mineral Wells, Texas, and graduated in June 1957. Bill and D.Anne were married on May 29, 1955. They had two children, Yale and Ysleta. While living in Wichita Falls, Bill worked at the Wichita Falls Times and Record News, and D.Anne worked for the Texas Employment Commission. They moved to Fort Worth on June 6, 1958, and Bill went to work for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on June 9. In chronological order, he was a sports writer, copy editor, copy desk chief, makeup editor, assistant news editor, editorial writer, editorial writer/columnist and, for the last 18 months of employment, he was the editorial page director of the newspaper’s Northeast Edition. He retired on Jan. 1, 1995. While employed at the Star-Telegram, he won Headliner Awards on two separate occasions, for column writing in 1983 and for editorials in 1987, and was recognized for his work on several occasions by both the Associated Press and the Texas State Teachers Association. He and D.Anne moved to North Richland Hills in May 1959. For a time they attended Davis Memorial Methodist Church in North Richland Hills and, later, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Haltom City. Bill was preceded in death by D.Anne, who died May 27, 2022, two days short of their 67th anniversary. He is survived by Yale (and his wife Susan); Ysleta (and her fiance Gary France); grandsons Matthew Youngblood (and his wife Samantha); Aaron Youngblood (and his wife Rose); Daniel Youngblood (and his wife Jessica); granddaughter Hannah Youngblood; and three great-grandchildren, Gavin Youngblood, Nevvie Youngblood and Maddox Youngblood.

Bill Youngblood

August 8, 1931 - June 26, 2022