A graveside service for Billy Joe Saizon, 91, will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at Restland Cemetery in Waskom, Texas. Mr. Saizon passed away from a sudden illness on December 12, 2021, in Marshall, Texas.

He was born January 20, 1930, to his parents Frank Saizon and Donie Hester Saizon in Royce City, Texas. He attended school in Royse City and Lindale, Texas.

He married Eva Audelle Bennett on March 15, 1952, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after a one-week courtship. He was on leave and visiting relatives with his mother in Baton Rouge for just a weekend when he met her. They married when he returned the next weekend. They were married 69 years before her passing earlier this year.

Billy was a very quiet and private person who was born and raised in Royce City, and later moved to Lindale, Texas to live with his grandmother. He worked afternoons and weekends in his stepfather's cotton plantation picking cotton. When he decided he no longer wanted work in the cotton fields, he ran away from home and joined the Navy at 15 years old. There he spent many tours of over-seas duty on destroyers and was a Veteran of the Korean, World War II, and Viet Nam wars. He would speak humbly of his time in the service but did like to talk about it and felt honored for having served.

When he retired from military service in 1966, after serving for slightly over 22 years, Billy moved his family from Florida back to his home state of Texas. There he became employed by UNX Chemicals as a sales representative until his retirement at 59 years old in 1989. This is when the fun years began. He bought a fishing camp and houseboat on Lake of the Pines, where he and his wife enjoyed much time fishing, cooking, and camping on their houseboat with their lake friends.

The waters of the sea never left his blood for he and his sweetheart would return to visit the coastal areas often. In his spare time, he loved to "tinker" in his shop. Give him wire, string, tape, screwdriver and pliers and he would modify anything brought to his home and everything had to have wheels whether it was manufactured with them or not. The family got many laughs from his alterations and contraptions that he built. In his quiet time, he liked to read his bible and watch old western movies.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Eva Saizon; his mother and stepfather, Donie and J.E. Wilks; his father, Frank Saizon; brother, Milton Saizon; grandson, Clinton Wayne Saizon and daughter in law, Nicki Saizon.

He is survived by his children, daughter; Donna Moore and husband Jimmy Dale, son; Billy R. "Randy" Saizon, daughter; Deborah Ann Moxley and husband Gary, and son; Ronald J. "Ron" Saizon; grandchildren, Alisha and Darien Head, Amanda and Douglas Branch, Karen and Brad Turner, Kimberly and Dan Lemrise, Jason and Claire Moxley, Randi Kaye Saizon, Joshua Saizon; great grandchildren, Cayden Head, Collier Head, Hunter Patterson, Hallie Patterson, Anabel Moxley, Matt Moxley, Marley Lemrise, Eloise Lemrise and Holden Lemrise as well as many other family and friends.

In lieu of flowers the family ask that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association.