William Leal

William Ernest Leal was freed from his earthly bonds on May 03, 2011 and is now with his parents, Raymond Leal and Julieta Ramirez Leal, in the heavenly kingdom.-His family and friends affectionately knew William as "Billy."-He was born in Laredo, Texas on June 03, 1949 and through his lifetime lived in Laredo, Texas, DeRidder, Louisiana, Corpus Christi, Texas, Austin, Texas, and San Antonio, Texas with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Leal, and his brothers, Raymond Robert Leal, Jr., Joseph Anthony Leal, and James Gerald Leal.-He graduated from J.W. Nixon High School in 1968 and also received an Associate Arts degree from Laredo Junior College in 1988.-

William is survived by his son, Matthew Williams Leal, who currently serves in the U.S. Air Force and is stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico and his former wife Christine Cates, of Oklahoma.-His survivors also include his three brothers, one uncle, two aunts, and many cousins.

During his formative years in Laredo, William was a well-known musician and will long be remembered for the introduction of rock'n'roll music in Laredo.-He played lead guitar with several bands that included the Viscounts, Crystal Prism, Soul Set, and Rasputin.-He was also a disc jockey for radio station, KLAR, where he went by the name of Tom Roberts.-In his later life he showcased his love of rock and blues by producing a CD titled Hungry for Love in which he wrote the music, played all guitar music, and sang all vocals.-On his website www.williamleal.com his music will live on forever.

Additionally, William was the owner of the Cabezones Ranch located close to Aguilares, Texas in Webb County.-This historic ranch dates back to the Spanish period in Texas history.-He also loved to fish and would take his fishing boat to spend leisurely days fishing on Medina Lake in Bexar County.