Bill Mac Ennis

Bill Ennis, age 94, left this mortal plane in the early morning hours of December 11th, following a brief illness. He now begins the next part of his journey, reunited with all those who have gone before him, including his parents and his eleven siblings.

Born on June 6, 1931, in Krum, Texas, to Claude Dora Farquhar and George Lee Ennis, Bill was the youngest of a kind and loving tribe of twelve children. He graduated from Ponder High School in 1949 and went on to become the first member of his family to earn a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering—a milestone that filled him, and those who loved him, with deep pride. Bill trained at Fort Hood and served in the U.S. Army. Stationed just outside London, he was introduced to Europe for the first time, igniting a curiosity about the world and a passion for travel that would shape his life.

He married Anna Joe Hicks (“Ann”) on September 3, 1955. In 1961, Bill and Ann welcomed their son, Freeman Bain Ennis, and together they embarked on an extraordinary life of work, global travel, and adventure that spanned continents and cultures—from New Orleans to Edinburgh, London to Dubai, Norway to Brazil, and Azerbaijan.

In 2025, Bill and Ann Ennis reached the rare milestone of seventy years of marriage. True partners in every season of life—through Bill’s career and the purposeful work they shared in retirement—their union was a testament to enduring love, mutual respect, and steadfast devotion. To family, friends, and all who knew them, their marriage stood as both a model and a bridge between eras: rooted in the traditions of the time in which their love began, yet lived with open hearts, curiosity, and grace in the modern world they so fully embraced.

After Bill retired from the oil and gas business, he and Ann opened Freeman Antiques on the Square in Denton, pursuing a lifelong interest in antiques that began during their five years living in Scotland in the 1970s. They became leaders in the community, admired and looked up to by many. Part of Ann and Bill’s legacy is their belief in—and early investment in—downtown Denton, long before it became the North Texas “it place” it is today. They brought life and spirit to countless properties in need of both, in Texas and New Mexico alike. With deep Texas roots and an eye firmly on the future, Ann and Bill made Texas feel welcoming and worldly—cool and hospitable to everyone from everywhere, including Canadians and Yankees.

Bill was widely recognized as one of the foremost experts in offshore global oil construction, specializing in pipeline installation, heavy marine construction, and offshore deep-sea drilling platforms. At the height of his career, he led Western Hemisphere operations for Santa Fe International, then home to the largest offshore drilling assets in the world. His pioneering work in the North Sea set engineering records for pipeline depth in some of the most treacherous waters on the planet. Following his tenure at Santa Fe, Bill played a pivotal role in rebuilding the critical infrastructure of Kuwait’s tanker ports after the First Gulf War, helping restore facilities devastated during the conflict.

He was happiest when surrounded by family and friends, listening to music, and sharing stories. A lover of song—especially ballads rich with truth and pathos—he moved through life with a

spirit that was generous, curious, and wholly genuine. A man without airs, Bill delighted in the world around him—its languages, foods, traditions, and people. Above all, he possessed an enormous heart, and his warmth and wonder brightened the lives of all who knew him. He was, simply, the best of us.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Ann; his son Bain and daughter-in-law Paige; his great-nieces Seena Snider and Starla Tracy; his great-nephews Sonny Sanders and Mike Ennis; and dozens of beloved extended and adopted family members, all of whom will steadfastly carry forward the legacy of this funny, flirtatious, resilient, inimitable, and dashing man.

The family kindly requests no flowers. Your presence is more than enough.