Avent - Person Sheet
Avent - Person Sheet
NameAVANT, William Thomas 
, 5G Grandson
, 5G GrandsonBirth Date05 Apr 1935
Birth PlaceCookson, Cherokee County, Oklahoma
OccupationAir Traffic Controller
Death Date11 Nov 2012 Age: 77
Death PlaceGermantown, Shelby County, Tennessee
FlagsServed in the Military
FatherAVANT, Troy Marion (1898-1974)
MotherBALLEW, Sallie (1900-1990)
Misc. Notes
William T. Avant, 77, of Germantown died November 11 following complications from heart surgery.
Born April 5, 1935 in Cookson, OK, he grew up in Tahlequah, OK.
Following his service in the Marine Corps, he moved to Memphis and joined the FAA from which he retired in 1985 as an Air Traffic Controller at the Control Center.
For many years, Bill was active with Houston High School baseball. "Coach" Avant spent the last years of his retirement maintaining the ball field, and two years ago it was named in his honor.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents Sallie and Troy Avant; his brothers Marion and Tom; and a sister Jewel Carlile.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Fredabeth; his children Lee Avant (Dick Vandenberg) and Joe Avant (Rhonda), both of Germantown; and Marcia Paxton (Jeff) of Dover, AR; as well as grandchildren Tucker Vandenberg, Grey Avant, Austin Paxton, Glyn Vandenberg, Garrett Avant, Ashley Paxton, and Chad Avant.
Born April 5, 1935 in Cookson, OK, he grew up in Tahlequah, OK.
Following his service in the Marine Corps, he moved to Memphis and joined the FAA from which he retired in 1985 as an Air Traffic Controller at the Control Center.
For many years, Bill was active with Houston High School baseball. "Coach" Avant spent the last years of his retirement maintaining the ball field, and two years ago it was named in his honor.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents Sallie and Troy Avant; his brothers Marion and Tom; and a sister Jewel Carlile.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Fredabeth; his children Lee Avant (Dick Vandenberg) and Joe Avant (Rhonda), both of Germantown; and Marcia Paxton (Jeff) of Dover, AR; as well as grandchildren Tucker Vandenberg, Grey Avant, Austin Paxton, Glyn Vandenberg, Garrett Avant, Ashley Paxton, and Chad Avant.
Spouses
Birth Dateabt 1937
Birth PlaceTahlequah, Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Death Date21 May 2023 Age: 86
Death PlaceMemphis, Shelby County, Tennessee
Misc. Notes
Fredabeth Hargis Avant – friend, partner and wife of 58 years of William T. Avant – died on May 21, 2023. She was the mother of their three children, grandmother of seven, and great grandmother of four.
Fredabeth was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma to Fred and Elizabeth Hargis in October of 1936. She spent her formative years in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In her late teenage years, Fredabeth studied to pursue a career in opera. That all ended when she met and fell in love with Bill, whom she married as soon as she graduated high school. While he was in the Marines, they lived in Kansas and Florida; upon leaving the armed services, he took a position as an air traffic controller in Memphis, where they spent the rest of their lives.
Throughout her life, Fredabeth was a voracious reader, keeping a diary of all the titles she read. She wrote two volumes of her own: one, a collection of recipes she developed to support Bill’s heart-healthy diet; second, the stories from her life, so that her grandchildren could know her better. She was also an accomplished seamstress, sewing all of her daughters’ clothing throughout their school years. Later, she did some crochet work but really found her calling when she taught herself to knit. In her last few years she was honored to be a member of two knitting groups; she treasured the friendships she built with those women.
She and Bill shared a love of all creation. They were wonderful gardeners, and enjoyed recording all the birds that visited their yards. Like Bill, she was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, and she instilled that allegiance in all her children and grandchildren. Above all, she was a devoted wife and mother: it was all she ever wanted to be.
She was also preceded in death by her parents and her brother Jake.. She is survived by her children Leeannette Avant (Dick Vandenberg), Joe Avant (Rhonda), and Marci Avant Paxton (Jeff). Also, grandchildren Tucker Vandenberg, Grey Avant, Austin Paxton, Glyn Vandenberg, Garrett Avant, Ashley Paxton Nordman, and Chad Avant.
Fredabeth was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma to Fred and Elizabeth Hargis in October of 1936. She spent her formative years in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In her late teenage years, Fredabeth studied to pursue a career in opera. That all ended when she met and fell in love with Bill, whom she married as soon as she graduated high school. While he was in the Marines, they lived in Kansas and Florida; upon leaving the armed services, he took a position as an air traffic controller in Memphis, where they spent the rest of their lives.
Throughout her life, Fredabeth was a voracious reader, keeping a diary of all the titles she read. She wrote two volumes of her own: one, a collection of recipes she developed to support Bill’s heart-healthy diet; second, the stories from her life, so that her grandchildren could know her better. She was also an accomplished seamstress, sewing all of her daughters’ clothing throughout their school years. Later, she did some crochet work but really found her calling when she taught herself to knit. In her last few years she was honored to be a member of two knitting groups; she treasured the friendships she built with those women.
She and Bill shared a love of all creation. They were wonderful gardeners, and enjoyed recording all the birds that visited their yards. Like Bill, she was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, and she instilled that allegiance in all her children and grandchildren. Above all, she was a devoted wife and mother: it was all she ever wanted to be.
She was also preceded in death by her parents and her brother Jake.. She is survived by her children Leeannette Avant (Dick Vandenberg), Joe Avant (Rhonda), and Marci Avant Paxton (Jeff). Also, grandchildren Tucker Vandenberg, Grey Avant, Austin Paxton, Glyn Vandenberg, Garrett Avant, Ashley Paxton Nordman, and Chad Avant.
Marr Date1954