Billy Joe King

Billy was born on October 29, 1937 in Madison County, TN, the son of the late Jack and Evelyn King. In 1962 he was drafted and served honorably in the Army in Korea. While in Korea, he became fast friends with a Korean local named Eui Yon Yu where they worshiped together and Billy leveraged his God given piano and organ playing talent in the church. When his service duty ended and it was time to return home, he sponsored his friend to come to America and to live at Billy’s family farm for a year to acclimate to the cultural differences before going on to complete his PhD and to ultimately author several books and publications. Billy and Eui Yon remained life long friends to the end. After graduating from Bethel College Billy married Judy Ann Forest in 1965 and worked for Bankers Life and Casualty as branch manger in Jackson. He was then transferred to Alexandria LA to open an office and later started a successful independent insurance brokerage.

While in Louisiana Billy became passionate about the preservation of historic structures. He formed a foundation to save a 60,000 square foot high school built in 1924 in LeCompte LA. The school had been deserted and left in despair and Billy raised money and received restoration grants and got the building listed in The National Register of Historic Places. Today it serves as the town library, senior citizens center, has a fully renovated 1,000 seat auditorium used for children’s programs and the Lecompte middle school. He also worked to get historic land features and buildings on the National Register. While in LA he also began a program to restore homes in the historic Garden District of Alexandria LA and get over 200 of them on the National Register as well as raising funds to purchase and restore a neglected neighborhood park. He also located and validated the authenticity of a civil war era cotton house, barn and servant cabin and had them moved to the historic Kent Plantation House grounds in Alexandria.

In 2006 after his beloved Judy passed, Billy moved back to Denmark TN on the land his family owned since 1854. Once again his passion for saving, honoring and restoring historic buildings in the community became his life focus. He helped organize Big Black Creek Historical Association to focus on the history of the community. Through his leadership 4 historic buildings, 2 churches and the Mercer post office were restored and placed on the historic register. One of the churches, the Denmark Presbyterian Church was his crown jewel. He led the effort to raise over $600,000 for full restoration of the civil war era church and served as the historical tour guide and master story teller and became known and loved far and wide. Billy selected the Denmark Presbyterian Church that he put so much of his time and effort into as the location for his funeral.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Judy Forrest King.

He is survived by his sister Betty (Kenneth) Stovall from Jackson.

The family will receive friends and loved ones on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 from 4-7 pm at the South Chapel of George A. Smith and Sons. Visitation will resume on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 from 12-2 pm at Denmark Presbyterian Church. Funeral services will follow at 2 pm at Denmark Presbyterian Church with burial following in Woodland Cemetery.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.GASmithandSonsFuneralHome.com for the King family.