William Thomas "Sonny" Dobyns went to his Heavenly Home to reside eternally with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on June 7, 2026. The graveside service will be at Farris Cemetery located on 1828 FM 1791, Richards, TX 77873 at 11:00 am. William was born in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee on March 28, 1940 to Robert and Azie Lee Dobyns. William was their first child, and he had a younger brother named Robert. William was named in honor of his Grandfather but came to be known as “Sonny” due to his bright demeanor and outgoing personality. William grew up mainly in Houston, Texas where he met the love of his life, Barbara Ann Turner, in Drama Class at Sam Houston High School. They were married on November 17, 1961 and were married until her passing, for sixty-one years. Barbara and Sonny decided to have children, and they were blessed with a son, Shannon, in 1966 and a daughter, Samantha, in 1971. The family moved to Oak Ridge North, Texas in the early 1970’s.
Sonny loved music. In high school, he was a member of a Sam Houston High School singing group which also featured his future wife, Barbara as the pianist. Sonny and Barbara played and sang with the singing group for many school events. That experience later carried over into church services and many other events over the years. Church work appealed to Sonny, and he served as a Deacon for numerous years. In this service, he cared for his friends, family, and church members by bringing a smile and upbeat and cheerful demeanor to trying situations. He also directed choir and sang in quartets at church. He was always smiling and singing.
Sonny’s career really started in the Navy. He served from 1963 to 1965. He was a radioman aboard the USS Murray DD576. The USS Murray was a destroyer that was deployed in the Atlantic, and its job was to chase and track submarines and perform escort duty. In 1965, the ship was decommissioned and he was offered an honorable discharge. Being he was married in 1961, the choice was obvious. He left to go be with his wife. The communication skills stayed with him. He worked for communication companies WUI, ATI, MCI, BT, and NSSL. His position at these companies was in account management to consulting positions. He was involved in just about every type of communication service. If it involved connectivity, he was more than likely engaged in it. Data networks, land lines, fiber, and satellite.
Sonny believed in the power of prayer. He prayed for just about everything, meals, country, people, especially his family and friends. He loved everyone and if you needed prayer, you could call and count on Sonny. This was not lip service. He would pray for you and often would call to check in on you as well. This was something he did with his wife, Barbara and they often prayed together.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Azie Lee, and his brother Robert “Bobby” Dobyns, Sonny leaves behind his son, Shannon, daughter, Samantha and her husband, David Tallent. He leaves behind two grandchildren who affectionately called him “Bahti”, Jack and Luke Tallent, along with his furry buddy, Puffy. He also leaves behind his nieces, Jennifer Dobyns-Driver, Vanessa Stagner-Parker, and Stephanie Stagner-Russell, and a host of relatives and friends. One of Sonny’s favorite Bible verses was John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Sonny believed in the victory and never gave up on anything, TYJFTV is something he wrote in Bible’s “Thank you Jesus for the victory “.
In lieu of flowers, as an expression of sympathy, please make donations to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in memory of Sonny who also gave to this organization at Christmas time. Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230 (804-353-0151), www.imb.org, or to your church if they give or contribute to Lottie Moon. Celebration of Life reception will follow at First Baptist Church Conroe: 600 N. Main Street, Conroe, Texas 77301 at 1 pm.
Services
Graveside Service
Mon. Jun. 22, 2026
11:00 am
Farris Cemetery
Farris Cemetery Rd.
Richards , TX 77873.
Celebration of Life
Mon. Jun. 22, 2026
1:00 pm
First Baptist Church - Conroe
600 N. Main St
Conroe , TX 77301.
Farris Cemetery
Richards , TX 77873.
First Baptist Church - Conroe
Conroe , TX 77301.
William Thomas "Sonny" Dobyns went to his Heavenly Home to reside eternally with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on June 7, 2026. The graveside service will be at Farris Cemetery located on 1828 FM 1791, Richards, TX 77873 at 11:00 am. William was born in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee on March 28, 1940 to Robert and Azie Lee Dobyns. William was their first child, and he had a younger brother named Robert. William was named in honor of his Grandfather but came to be known as “Sonny” due to his bright demeanor and outgoing personality. William grew up mainly in Houston, Texas where he met the love of his life, Barbara Ann Turner, in Drama Class at Sam Houston High School. They were married on November 17, 1961 and were married until her passing, for sixty-one years. Barbara and Sonny decided to have children, and they were blessed with a son, Shannon, in 1966 and a daughter, Samantha, in 1971. The family moved to Oak Ridge North, Texas in the early 1970’s.
Sonny loved music. In high school, he was a member of a Sam Houston High School singing group which also featured his future wife, Barbara as the pianist. Sonny and Barbara played and sang with the singing group for many school events. That experience later carried over into church services and many other events over the years. Church work appealed to Sonny, and he served as a Deacon for numerous years. In this service, he cared for his friends, family, and church members by bringing a smile and upbeat and cheerful demeanor to trying situations. He also directed choir and sang in quartets at church. He was always smiling and singing.
Sonny’s career really started in the Navy. He served from 1963 to 1965. He was a radioman aboard the USS Murray DD576. The USS Murray was a destroyer that was deployed in the Atlantic, and its job was to chase and track submarines and perform escort duty. In 1965, the ship was decommissioned and he was offered an honorable discharge. Being he was married in 1961, the choice was obvious. He left to go be with his wife. The communication skills stayed with him. He worked for communication companies WUI, ATI, MCI, BT, and NSSL. His position at these companies was in account management to consulting positions. He was involved in just about every type of communication service. If it involved connectivity, he was more than likely engaged in it. Data networks, land lines, fiber, and satellite.
Sonny believed in the power of prayer. He prayed for just about everything, meals, country, people, especially his family and friends. He loved everyone and if you needed prayer, you could call and count on Sonny. This was not lip service. He would pray for you and often would call to check in on you as well. This was something he did with his wife, Barbara and they often prayed together.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Azie Lee, and his brother Robert “Bobby” Dobyns, Sonny leaves behind his son, Shannon, daughter, Samantha and her husband, David Tallent. He leaves behind two grandchildren who affectionately called him “Bahti”, Jack and Luke Tallent, along with his furry buddy, Puffy. He also leaves behind his nieces, Jennifer Dobyns-Driver, Vanessa Stagner-Parker, and Stephanie Stagner-Russell, and a host of relatives and friends. One of Sonny’s favorite Bible verses was John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Sonny believed in the victory and never gave up on anything, TYJFTV is something he wrote in Bible’s “Thank you Jesus for the victory “.
In lieu of flowers, as an expression of sympathy, please make donations to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in memory of Sonny who also gave to this organization at Christmas time. Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230 (804-353-0151), www.imb.org, or to your church if they give or contribute to Lottie Moon. Celebration of Life reception will follow at First Baptist Church Conroe: 600 N. Main Street, Conroe, Texas 77301 at 1 pm.
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