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Titus, John Williford

April 13, 1935 –
 September 18, 2018

Obituary

John Williford Titus, age 83, died Tuesday, September 18, 2018, at his home in Dallas, Texas, following an illness. John was born April 13, 1935, in Little Rock, Arkansas, and raised in Hamburg, Arkansas. He was the oldest son of the late John Myron Titus and Kathleen Williford Titus. John graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1957, where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. After graduation, John served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy until 1962 and regarded his service to his country as one of the high points of his life. After the Navy, John earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1965 and went on to have a successful business career. He started his career with Bradley Investment Company. In 1971, he became the Vice President of Real Estate for Steak and Ale and then joined Chili’s Restaurant Corporation (Brinker International) as Vice President of Real Estate. In 1989, John founded Snowstate Restaurant Corporation, a Chili’s Franchise, which he eventually sold in 1996. That same year, he and his son Bill started JWL Corporation, a self-storage company, of which he remained an integral part until his death. Since 1977, John was active in the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, where he made many lifelong friends. His family and friends were the most important things in his life. Two of his greatest gifts were his sense of humor and love of life. Among his many interests were hunting, fly-fishing, reading, and traveling; however, his greatest joy was being with his grandchildren and watching them play football, run track, and dance. John is survived by his wife of 51 years, Joan Hallenbeck Titus; his daughter, Mary Titus Clark and granddaughters Taylor and Kennedy of Dallas, Texas; his son, Bill Titus and wife Laura, along with his grandsons Payton and Blake of Little Rock, Arkansas; two brothers, Robert E. Titus and his wife Linda of West Monroe, Louisiana, and James C. Titus of Huntington, New York. John is also remembered by a host of loved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews: Traci, Ashley, Steve, Lane, Jordan, David, Kara, Kyle, Garet, Ty, Avery, Aimee, and Paige, as well as Leigh who preceded John in death. A memorial service will be held at Park Cities Presbyterian Church on Monday, October 1, 2018, at 11:00 a.m., followed by a reception in Fellowship Hall. In Lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Salesmanship Club of Dallas or Park Cities Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas. Please note that a shuttle service will be available at the church due to construction. Shuttle pick-up is located at the parking garage behind Tom Thumb on Irving, between Turtle Creek and Oak Lawn Avenue. The shuttle will run from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700

    Angela Clark
    20 Sep 2018
    7:43pm

    Our hearts our heavy hearing of John passing. Please know you are all in our thoughts and prayers. Praying for comfort and peace.

    Paula Childers
    20 Sep 2018
    10:16pm

    Our thoughts and prayers are with your family, Bill.
    Gary, Paula, Emily and Noah

    Kay Hammond
    21 Sep 2018
    12:06am

    To JOAN and family,
    I am so very sorry for your loss. Joan, if I can do anything, bring food, run errands, please let me know.
    I know John is with our lord. Prayers for the family who will miss him so much.
    Kay Hammond

    Scott and Mary Carole Polk
    21 Sep 2018
    1:21am

    What an accomplished and interesting man! We are so sorry for your loss and pain. Prayers for Bill, Laura, Peyton, and Blake, and of course, the rest of the Titus family.

    Scott, Mary Carole, Kirkland, MaryScott, and Jack Thomas Polk

    Doug Alcott
    21 Sep 2018
    10:32am

    John was a role model and mentor to me in my formative years becoming a businessman/real estate deal maker. He cared for those around him, and was quick to help them succeed in business and in life. I have tried to emulate his negotiating style, which was always to be more prepared and quicker with the math of a financial transaction. Makes me smile remembering John “school” others in a negotiation. He will be so fondly remembered. Thoughts and prayers to Joan and the Titus family.

    Bob Titus
    21 Sep 2018
    5:58pm

    John was the best and most generous big brother anyone could ever have!

    Mindy Moore
    22 Sep 2018
    4:26pm

    What a great man. He was also so always so kind and funny. I enjoyed always enjoyed being around him and never knew what to expect:). I know he will be missed. Love and prayers all of the family in this difficult time.

    Jon and Sheila Harrell
    24 Sep 2018
    10:00am

    So sorry for the loss of your loved Husband, Father & Grandather. I know he will be missed by you all. Praying for peace and comfort for you all.

    Gerald Brunworth
    29 Sep 2018
    6:17pm

    I share your sorrow in the death of your husband, father and grandfather. I knew John Titus as a good, helpful, generous, loving and Godly
    . man. He will be missed but we also believe that he now lives eternally with his Savior. Take comfort in knowing that he is in the eternal presence of Jesus. Blessed be the name of the Lord. God be with you.
    Gerald Brunworth

    Gerald Brunworth
    29 Sep 2018
    6:21pm

    I was sorry to hear of the passing of your husband, father and grandfather. John was a good man of compassion and humor and purpose. He was a man of God. I know that you will each miss him but that you also understand that he is with the Lord. He rests in the arms of Jesus. May you be comforted by these words. God bless and keep you in His care.
    Gerald Brunworth

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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

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      214-340-8009
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      972-526-7410
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