William Marvin Hillis

We are saddened to announce the passing of William “Marvin” Hillis on September 25, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Hillis was born in Dallas, Texas on September 19, 1927. He was the youngest child of William and Mary Hillis and was raised in the Oak Cliff area.

Mr. Hillis attended Forest Avenue High School. After graduation, he served a brief stint in the U.S. Army from 1946-47. After an honorable service discharge, he was a gospel singer at various churches around Dallas and east Texas.

With a smooth tenor voice, Mr. Hillis was encouraged to attend broadcasting school. He enjoyed a long and successful career in radio broadcasting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He was well known as a disc jockey at KIXL in the 1960s. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he ran Marv’s Record Shop in Irving, where he raised his family. He also worked at KFJZ and other local stations and spent many years at Texas State Network as a news reader until he retired. During his career, Mr. Hillis interviewed many interesting and influential people including businessmen, presidents, entertainers and sports figures, and delighted in recounting those stories to his family over the years. He is a proud member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

He was a huge fan of both the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers and had a passion for all kinds of music, especially Big Band and show tunes, which he passed on to all his children.

During retirement, he enjoyed traveling the state of Texas and photographing courthouses. He had extensive knowledge of genealogy and delighted in discovering his family history. He was also an avid model train enthusiast. He collected and ran trains on several gauges and loved making time for a train ride when possible.

Mr. Hillis is survived by his six children: daughter Lezley Norris (Frank); daughter Sharon Metcalf (Scott); son Joe Hillis (Debbie); daughter Kim Solis (Javier); daughter Laura Burks (Dennis) and daughter Allison Reeves (Neal). He is also survived by grandchildren Carter, Mallory, Chris, Brandon, Trever, Lauren, Nick, Mathew, Karina, Alexis, Paola, Alexandra, Austin and Kevin and nine great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by his sister, Ida Lynch of Marietta, Georgia, a niece, two nephews and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Weldon Hillis of Robstown, Texas.

The family would like to thank the staff at Mira Vista Court in Fort Worth for their love and care during his final months.

Arrangements under the direction of NEPTUNE SOCIETY - Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX.