Billy Lee Hillyard, 79, Liberty, Missouri, passed away Thursday, July 8, 2021, at the Liberty Hospital with family by his side.
Bill was born April 29, 1942, at Bethany, Missouri, the son of Kenneth and Elizabeth (Oswalt) Hillyard. He was the first of four boys.
Bill attended revival with Virginia Real and joined the Methodist church at Gilman City, Missouri, at the age of 17.
On June 11, 1960, he married Sharon Real at the Gilman City Methodist Church. In June they celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. During their married life, Sharon and Bill lived in Kansas City, Missouri; North Platte, Nebraska; Lincoln, Nebraska; Brandon, Mississippi, and retired in Kansas City, Missouri.
Bill began driving for Consolidated Freightways in1969 and retired after 33 years. Consolidated Freightways rewarded him by hosting a dinner for his friends, family, and co-workers where they rewarded him by imprinting a company truck with Bill’s name for driving three million accident free miles
In the eighties, Bill purchased a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle so he and his three-year old grandson Kenny could ride together. One year he even rode his motorcycle from Lincoln to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
He was a member of the Sesostris Shrine of Lincoln, Nebraska. For 14 years he belonged to the Sesostris 400’s a Kawasaki 400 motorcycle drill team which rode in competitions.
He was a member of the Scottish Rite Center Valley of Lincoln, Nebraska. He was a past master of Alpha Lodge #659 A.F. & A.M.
He was preceded in death by his parents; infant daughter, Jennifer Beth Hillyard and son Kirk Dee Hillyard and three brothers Larry, Mike, and Jerry Hillyard.
Bill is survived by his wife, Sharon; son, Kenneth Donald Hillyard and wife Eva; son, Kent Douglas Hillyard; two grandsons, Kenneth Donald Hillyard and Jesse Ray Hillyard; brother-in-law, Larry Real; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Allan and Karon Ray; sister-in-law, Trish Hillyard and several nieces and nephews. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 13 at Park Lawn Northland Chapel, 1640 N State Route 291, Liberty, MO 64068 under the direction of Roberson Funeral Home, Bethany, MO. The family will receive friends from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Tuesday at Park Lawn Northland Chapel. Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at Masonic Cemetery, Gilman City, MO. Memorials may be made to Masonic Cemetery in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 46, Bethany, MO 64424. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com