William Ryan Gaylor

William Ryan Gaylor, 46, a proud Texan, passed away September 16, 2020. He was born in Paris, TX on May 24, 1974. He grew up in Arlington, TX and graduated from Nolan Catholic High School. At Nolan, Will was a star soccer player, who led his team to a Texas State Championship by scoring the winning goal.

A true “Red Raider” at heart, Will attended Texas Tech University. At Tech, he pursued his education while continuing his love of soccer. Will ultimately received his Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Texas at Arlington. There he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

Will was a dedicated, loyal, and inspired hard worker. He started working in high school and never slowed down. His career spanned from finance to home building. He took great pride in the quality of his work, as well as building authentic relationships. Many of those he worked with ultimately became good friends and close confidantes.

Will married his wife, Kim, in 2008 in an intimate beach ceremony in Los Cabos, Mexico. They initially lived in Ft. Worth, Texas and relocated to Norman, Oklahoma in 2009.

One of his passions throughout life was clearly sports. He was a lover of college football, the NFL and the NBA. Ironically Will predicted that former Texas Tech quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, would one day win a Superbowl. He was right. The Kansas City Chiefs, led by Mahomes won the Superbowl in 2019, which brought Will such joy.

Will also loved his time on the road. Whether it be driving cross country or a beach adventure with his wife, he absolutely loved travel and nature. A road trip to the Grand Canyon was one of his favorite adventures.

He was also unafraid to pick up a new hobby. When he decided to invest more time in playing golf, he’d be the first to laugh at his golf skill set. Nevertheless, he did improve. Some of his other passions included both water and snow skiing.

Will loved to laugh, spend time with friends and family and greatly appreciated the simple things in life. Some of Will’s greatest moments were sitting on his patio after grilling a gourmet meal for those he loved. He also loved his dogs, the late Rerun and Tyson, as well as his daily companion, five year-old Murphy. He was such a nurturing soul.

Will was adored and is missed immensely by those who were blessed to have known him.

Will is survived by his loving wife Kim Gaylor, his mother and step-father, Diane and Michael Grossman, his sister and brother-in-law, Amy and Will Bell, nephew and niece Chris and Madeleine Bell, Uncle Jon and Aunt Martha DeVault, his father-in-law and wife, Glenn and Bobbye Foster, brother-in-law and wife Richard and Shanna Foster, nephew Dax, and nieces Blake and Paige, Uncle Bill Dessauer, and Uncle Phil and Aunt Connie Foster.

Will was preceded in death by his beloved grandmother Vivian “Nanny” DeVault, his mother-in-law Suzanne Dessauer Foster, and his wife’s grandmother Bonnie Libbin Dessauer.

Private services for family will be held and a Celebration of Will's Life will follow at a later date.

In lieu of flowers the family would like to request that a donation in his honor be made to the Oklahoma Humane Society at okhumane.org or by mail to P.O. Box 18471, Oklahoma City, OK. 73154.

At the request of Will's family, no flowers please. If you would like to share your memory(ies) online, that would be valued the most to the family.