Ralph Billingsley

Funeral services for Ralph Dillon Billingsley, 83, of Cookeville will be held Saturday, November 10 at 11 a.m. in the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home with Rev. Dow Allen and Marty Sheldon officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in the J.J. White Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Mr. Billingsley passed away Wednesday morning, November 7, 2012 in Cookeville Regional Medical Center. He was born August 6, 1929 in Jackson County, TN to the late Johnathan Buchannon and Martha Beulah White Billingsley. Mr. Billingsley was a lifelong active member of Post Oak Shade Freewill Baptist Church. He was a U. S. Air Force Veteran and a member of the Upper Cumberland Funeral Directors Association. He was widely known and respected Funeral Director and Embalmer serving families for over 50 years. He began his career in the Spring of 1958 and in 1960 received his Mortuary Science Degree from of John A. Gupton College. Early in his career he was associated with Miller Funeral Home in Maryville, Pettus-Owen & Woods Funeral Home in Nashville, and Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home in Lebanon. He was co-owner and later owner of Rogers & Billingsley Funeral Home in Livingston. However, the majority of his professional career was serving families at Hooper & Huddleston Funeral Home and Whitson Funeral Home. He was also active with local Masonic work. He was a 50 year member of Cookeville Masonic Lodge #266 F&AM; member and Past Commander of Cumberland Commandry #26 (conferring hundreds of Degrees for Order Of The Temple). He was a member of Al Menah Shrine Temple and the Temples Motor Cycle Corps. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by an infant son, Ralph D. Billingsley, Jr., sister, Kathleen Cowan and brother, Dewie Billingsley. Mr. Billingsley is survived by his wife of 63 years, Hazel Richards Billingsley (whom he married January 20, 1949 in Crossville, TN); three daughters and sons-in-law, Marcia and Donnie Spurlock, Amy and Gary Medley all of Cookeville and Pam & Marty Sheldon of Lynchburg, VA; six grandchildren, Kristin (Jeremy) Tomes of Huntsville, AL, Jonathan (Jenna) Medley of Cookeville, Cynthia Medley of Nashville, Edward (Pamela) Spurlock of Cookeville, Sarah Sheldon and Jared Sheldon both of Lynchburg, VA; seven special great grandchildren, Addie & Camryn Tomes, Avery, Tucker and Ellie Medley and Steven and Emma Spurlock; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Shirley Billingsley of Cookeville, Bernice and Frances Billingsley of Lascassas. Honorary Pallbearers will be area funeral home directors and staff, cemetery employees and grave service employees, and members of Cookeville Masonic Lodge. Active Pallbearers will be Jonathan Medley, Edward Spurlock, Jared Sheldon, Jeremy Tomes, Bob White, Zack Greenwood, Ken Matheny, Bill Matheny, Davis Watts, and David Richey.