William Gordon Tugwell 5/21/1931 – 10/10/2019 William (Bill) Gordon Tugwell, 88, of Moss Bluff, passed from his earthly life to be with the Lord on Thursday, October 10, 2019 at his home. His visitation will be Sunday, October 13, from 4-8pm at Heritage Funeral Home, and Monday, October 14, from 10am until time of service at First Baptist Church of Moss Bluff. His Celebration of Life will be Monday, October 14, at 11am at First Baptist Church of Moss Bluff. Interment will be at Old Ritchie Cemetery. Rev. Lindsey Burns and Rev. Tim Bergen will officiate. He leaves to cherish so many fond memories, his wife of 66 years, Mrs. Mary Frances (Francine) Regan Tugwell; his five children, Shirley Tugwell Fontenot and husband Sherman of Ragley, Gordon Tugwell and wife Nancy of Lake Charles, Linda Tugwell Guinn Whelchel of Westlake, Darlene Tugwell Habetz and husband Richard of Longville and John Tugwell and wife Kim of Longville; sister Cindy Tugwell of Kilgore, TX; brother Charles Tugwell of Conroe, TX; and a host of grandchildren to expand his legacy of his temporary earthly home. He is preceded in death by his parents Floyd (Tug) and Irene Tugwell; and two brothers, Buddy and Edward Tugwell. He was born on May 21, 1931 to Floyd and Irene Tugwell in El Dorado, Arkansas. He was raised in Gladewater, Texas and graduated from Gladewater High School in 1949. After high school, Bill went to work in the oilfield, which he was already accustomed to from working with his dad as a teenager. He then decided to enlist with the United States Air Force where he served for 4 years with an honorable discharge. While he was in the Air Force, he met the love of his life Francine. They were married in Denver, CO, on December 6th, 1952 and then settled in Lake Charles. After the military, he returned to the oil field, where he worked a few years for McCullough Tool Company. He then started the final part of his career at Conoco Refinery in 1959. During that time, he transferred into the electrical department on the Conoco Chemical side of the business, which was sold and eventually became Vista Chemical where Bill retired from in 1993 after 33 years of successful service. Bill and Francine belonged to four churches in their 66 years of marriage. Their first church home was Twelfth Street Baptist Church of Lake Charles. Then they moved to First Baptist Church of Lake Charles before moving to Moss Bluff, where they attended Berean Bible Church for many years, finally ending at First Baptist Church of Moss Bluff. Over those years and churches, Bill served as Sunday school teacher and deacon, worked in training union, and on various committees. Bill and Francine always made a point for their kids to go to church and learn the Scriptures and God's love. God has blessed their 66 years of marriage with five children, seventeen grandchildren, thirty-two great-grandchildren and four great great grandchildren. Bill had two passions in his life, his family and fishing. He always worked the two together. Bill loved to take his family camping on the Calcasieu River or Toledo Bend where he and his family made a lifetime of wonderful memories with family and friends. After his retirement, he became known as "The Catfish Man", due to the amount of catfish that he caught and gave away to family, friends and his church. He was a master of the trotline and he loved to share his knowledge of fishing with anyone who had an interest. The family would like to say a special "Thank You" to Dad's caregivers: Trisha Potter, April Wheeler, Julie Jones and Callie East. The family cannot fully express their appreciation and gratitude for the care that was given to their father, which was not only professional but also very personal. Their character, patience, and genuine love for the family was a comfort and a blessing. As an option to flowers, a much-appreciated donation can be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital at www.stjude.org/donate. Condolences can be made at www.heritagefuneralhomellc.com.