William Joseph Herm, Jr.

William Joseph Herm, Jr. passed away July 17, 2021, in Belton, Texas, surrounded by his family.

Bill was born May 30, 1954 in Jackson, Mississippi to Evelyn and William J. Herm. As a young boy, he was very active in the Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout and being inducted into the Order of the Arrow. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Jackson and was very active in the youth group and the youth Revelation choir. Singing was very much a part of his life as he was also a member of his high school choir and was in the chorus of several Mississippi Opera Guild performances.

He graduated from Jackson Prep and went on to attend Mississippi State University where he was involved in Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and the business fraternity Delta Sigma. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. After working summers during school at his dad’s store Stationers, Inc., Bill began his professional career with Touche Ross in Jackson. Successive moves took him to Dallas with Armco Insurance and Transport Insurance. He later joined Infinity Insurance (later Kemper) and eventually relocated to Birmingham, Alabama to the corporate headquarters as Manager of Corporate Accounting. He retired in October, 2020.

In December, 2015, Bill married Ron Whitaker in Manhattan, New York, surrounded by much of Ron’s family. They were together for over 27 years. After Bill’s retirement, Ron and Bill moved from Chelsea, Alabama to Austin, Texas to be closer to both of their families.

Family, faith and travel were a large part of Bill’s life, with some of his favorite memories being family vacations at the beach in Navarre, FL., traveling in the Caribbean to St. John, several trips to Europe, and sailing schooners in the West Indies. He also loved working in his yard in Chelsea.

Bill was preceded in death by his spouse, Ron Whitaker, who passed away shortly after their move to Texas. Bill is survived by his brother, Mike and Jody Herm of Jackson, MS; his sister, Cindy Herm Britt of Temple, TX; his stepdaughter, Dana (Whitaker) and Michael Womack of Garland, TX; two grandsons, Erich and Alex Womack; and his six nieces: Julianne Trahan of Pearland, TX, Camille Bragewitz of Temple,TX, Elizabeth Britt of Houston, TX, Erin Herm of Jackson, MS, Molly Herm of Fort Lee, NJ, and Carly Herm of Boulder, CO.