Winfred S. Emmons III February 10, 1946 - April 14, 2025

Winfred S. Emmons III, beloved husband, father, brother and uncle, passed away April 14, 2025, in Waco, Texas, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 79.

Win was born on February 10, 1946, in Minden, Louisiana, the first child of Dr. Winfred S. Emmons Jr. and Ethel May Moore Emmons. He grew up in Beaumont, Texas, where he met the love of his life and future wife, Bonnie Oglethorpe, a neighbor on Howard Street. 

He graduated from South Park High School in 1964 and earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in mathematics from The Ohio State University.

Win considered himself fortunate to have had two rewarding careers. He worked for many years as an actuary, first for Home Life Insurance Company in New York City and then, beginning in 1992, for American Amicable Life Insurance Company in downtown Waco’s historic ALICO Building. Win was also a gifted math teacher. His father, an English professor, and his mother, a Latin teacher, instilled in him the values of learning and excellence. Carrying on that tradition, he taught at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and later at Texas schools, primarily McGregor High School. One of his proudest accomplishments was coaching the McGregor UIL math team to a state championship. During his years as a teacher, he was known for the outstanding performance of his students on their Advanced Placement calculus exams. Win cared about all his students and always went the extra mile to help them succeed, often arriving early and staying late to help those who were struggling.

In retirement, Win never slowed down, devoting more time than ever to a wide range of passions.

He generously contributed to humanitarian causes and supported local arts groups, especially Waco Civic Theatre, where he played many roles both onstage and off. He served on the Board of Directors in various capacities. He also built and painted sets, and tackled any other job that needed doing. For decades, he faithfully climbed the ladder to change the marquee after every show. He auditioned for as many roles as he could, and especially enjoyed performing in musicals. He appreciated a variety of music, spending some leisure time at home each day playing his keyboard.

Win also loved logic problems, puzzles and wordplay. He was a prolific creator of palindromes — words, phrases or sentences that read the same backward and forward. He was published in Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics; he competed in the World Palindrome Championship; and he appeared in a documentary film about palindromists. He enjoyed the daily New York Times crossword puzzle and created many crosswords himself.

Win was a lifelong sports and sports trivia enthusiast. As a young baseball fan he was a great admirer of Willie Mays and the Giants; in high school he was a champion tennis player; and in later years he played racquetball five days a week at the Greater Waco YMCA, until he became ill in February.

More than anything, Win loved his family. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, of Waco; son, Winfred S. Emmons IV, of Waco; sister, Jeanne Emmons, and her husband, Adam Frisch, of North Sioux City, South Dakota; brother, Don Emmons, and his wife, Margo, of Austin, Texas; sister-in-law, Kim Oglethorpe, of Irving, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews and their children.

Win will be missed by many, and a celebration of life to honor his memory will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Waco Civic Theatre or the Waco-McLennan County Retired Teachers Association scholarship fund.