Billy D. Dillard Sr.

Billy Dillard Sr. was born on July 9, 1948 in Paola, Kansas to Ruby Sweets and Frank L. Dillard. He loved life, and no matter what he was going through he always had a smile on his face. Billy was a very hard worker from the time he was a young boy as he worked to help his mother provide for his younger siblings. He held many different titles; "A jack of all trades" as he would call it, but his true passion was painting. He was a self-employed painter for many years and always left his customers happy. In his free time he enjoyed playing cards with his family, fishing, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He was also a gifted poetry writer; "The Quilt of Life" and "Just Passing Through" were a couple of his favorites. Billy was a strong believer in God and never missed an opportunity to spread God"s word to family and friends. Although Billy was a man of many words and everyone who met him fell in love with his happy spirit, he only had a very small circle of close friends. He wasn"t a rich man in the monetary sense, but he was extremely wealthy in the fact he had so many people who loved him. Billy always tried to teach his children lessons about life and the direction in which to go. To his children, he was our hero, our provider, our mentor, our protector, our teacher, our safe place, and most of all, our very best friend. We lost a wonderful man, but heaven truly gained an angel. Billy Dillard Sr. passed away at Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Hospital on June 23, 2015. He fought a good fight all the way to the end. Billy has always been a strong man and he really proved it through his battle with cancer over the past years. To see his fight and will to live was nothing short of amazing. Even though he will be greatly missed, we can be comforted by knowing we will all reunite once again. Until then, he is with those who preceded him in death his mother Ruby Moore; father-Frank L. Dillard Sr.; brothers Tommy Dillard, Frank Dillard Jr., and Virgil Dillard; and his sisters Joyce Wilkes, Diane Loving, and Denise Moore. Those surviving Billy are his children daughters Sheila McDowell and Ann Dillard and his three sons Billy Dillard Jr., Anthony Dillard, and Zachary Dillard; his sister Verlene Dillard; his girlfriend and long term companion, Mary Willis; step-daughter, Missie Dillard; 13 grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews. To share a memory of Billy or to leave a condolence message for his family, please press the Share Memories button above. Living Proof Church 32401 Harmony Rd. Paola Service: Wednesday, July 01, 2015 at 11:00 AM Visitation: Wednesday, July 01, 2015 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM