Billy Winkenwerder Obituary, Death- Shiner lost a devoted and diligent citizen on November 11, 2023, when Billy Ray Winkenwerder passed away at the age of 79. Billy Ray Winkenwerder, who was born on February 13, 1944, to Victor Sr. and Evelyn Zimmerman Winkenwerder, forever changed the lives of all who met him. Beginning in 1958, Billy Ray attended and graduated from Shiner High School in 1962. After succeeding on the football pitch at Ranger Junior College, he continued his studies at Southwest Texas College.
Instead of continuing his education, however, he founded BRW, Inc., a profitable bulldozing and brush-clearing business, and enthusiastically oversaw its growth and success for nearly half a century. On November 27, 1971, Billy Ray wed the love of his life, Cynthia Rehak. They were married for 52 wonderful years and had four wonderful boys: Eric, Kyle, Wyatt, and Dean. Billy Ray’s love for family was not limited to his close relatives. Billy Ray was not only a pillar of the Shiner community but an active member in its numerous dimensions.
His contributions to the community include 12 years on the board of trustees for Shiner Independent School District, 24 years of service with the Shiner Comanche Chain Gang, and coaching his sons’ little league teams. Billy Ray was devoted to the Oilers and the Longhorns in addition to his career and community responsibilities. Westerns, with their emphasis on hard work and honor, were his favorite genre, and this preference said something about the kind of man he was.
Billy Ray is survived by his devoted wife, Cynthia Rehak Winkenwerder, and his four kids, Eric (Michelle), Kyle (Dawn), Wyatt (Jatanna), and Dean (Gina). Ty, Connor, Megan, Colton, Cameron, and Camden are his six grandchildren; another is on the way. Betty Heinsohn, Dalton (Valerie) Winkenwerder, and Sandra (Darrin) Foster, Jo Ann Winkenwerder, and Linda (Rehak) Rehak all love and miss him dearly. Death took Billy Ray’s parents, brother, and in-laws (Victor Winkenwerder Jr., Alfred and Helen Noack, Earl Heinsohn, Robert Rehak, and Mary Jane Siegel) from him.
The United Dr. Martin Luther Evangelical Church will have a memorial service for Billy Ray on November 14, 2023, at 2:00 pm, with Pastor Chris Heinold officiating. Donations in Billy Ray’s memory can be donated to the United Dr. Martin Luther Evangelical Church or the charity of the donor’s choice in place of flowers. This will ensure that his legacy will have a lasting influence on the community he cared so deeply about.
