‘Bill’ Mize (11-4-12)

WINNSBORO, LA. - William Kenneth “Bill” Mize, Sr., 82, died at his residence following a brief illness on Sunday, November 4, 2012, in the company of his children, Ken Mize of Baskin, La. and Cindy Mize and her husband, Walter Caridad from Key Biscayne, Fla.

He was born on July 19, 1930, in Santiago, Chile, the son of Rachel McInnis of Isle of Harris Scotland and Theron Neal Mize of Banks County, Georgia.

He graduated from Commerce High School in 1947 and from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in 1951, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and a member of the Varsity swim team.
Bill Mize got his pilot's license when he was 15 years old and was "plane crazy" for the rest of his life. He loved airplanes and the people who flew them. He loved telling stories about airplanes and the people who flew them. He even loved the coffee in styrofoam cups from the machine in airports!

Bill was a member of the State Board of Directors of the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe, La. and the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, where he was a past officer, flight leader, and flew over 100 missions.

Mr. Mize's career was in the textile industry. Among the firms for which he worked were Blue Bell International, Wright's Manufacturing Company and Levi Strauss.

His career moved him and his family many times; mostly in the Southeastern part of the United States and enabled him to travel extensively all over the world.

No matter where he lived, he would always head to the closest airport, find a hangar for his plane, and an immediate group of friends.

Mr. Mize was vice president of LaSevilla Fashions and Pelican Sports locally, until his retirement. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Monroe, La., and for many years a Sunday school teacher there.

Survivors include children, Ken Mize, Baskin, La. and Cindy Mize (Walter Caridad), Key Biscayne, Fla.; sister Mary Ella Nunn, Marietta; and his former wife, Dollene Mize, Memphis, Tenn.

A memorial service will be held at the Commerce Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 2, at 3 p.m. with the Revs. Miriam Dunson and Month Nelson officiating. Funeral services were held Wednesday, November 7, at the First United Methodist Church in Monroe, La. Burial was at Providence Memorial Cemetery in Winnsboro, La.

Memorial contributions may be made to A2A4A c/o Arthritis Foundation, 3405 NW 9th Ave., Suite 1206, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309, or electronically at www.tinyurl.com/InMemoryofBillMize, or Muscular Dystrophy Association, 1888 Hudson Cir., Ste. 1, Monroe, LA 71201