Billy Ralph Smith, 69, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on January 10, 2023. Billy
Ralph was born in Pine Bluff Arkansas to Ralph and Florene Smith and moved to Huntsville, Alabama at
the age of four. Billy Ralph spent the rest of his life living in Huntsville but never forgot his love for his
home state of Arkansas.
Billy Ralph grew up in Huntsville and graduated from Butler High School in 1971. Not long after
graduating from high school, he married and welcomed his firstborn son in 1972 and later his second son
in 1979. “His two boys”, as he would always say, were the center of his world and the light of his life.
Friends of Billy’s have stated over and over again how he would tell them how proud he was of his two
boys and cherished every accomplishment they made.
In 1975, Billy Ralph began his career as a proud member of the Huntsville Fire Department. In the early
80s, he was promoted to the position of Driver and in the late 80s was promoted again to Captain. Billy
Ralph (or BR as he was known around the fire hall) remained a Captain until his retirement in 2000. BR
was primarily stationed at Fire Station #6 which was located, at the time, at the old airport near Airport
Road and the Parkway. The stories and antics that took place at Station 6 are legendary. The Group of
firefighters who served with BR at Station 6 remained mostly intact for the vast majority of BR’s Captain’s
career. This group of men would play a practical joke on one another one minute and the next minute be
laser focused as a team while saving a life. Station 6 ran thousands of calls during BR’s career and
countless lives were saved because of the dedication of that crew. BR’s crew was on duty, and first on
the scene, for the 1989 tornado that tore through the Airport Road area. BR also was on duty the day
Murphy’s Mart at Parkway City Mall burned to the ground and was injured fighting the fire when a metal
pipe fell and hit his fire helmet. BR would end up with a few injuries over his 25 year career, thankfully
none of them severe.
In the late 80s, Billy Ralph ran for, and became, president of the local firefighters union (IAFF Local
1833). As president, Billy Ralph was instrumental in helping both mayors and city councilmen be elected
over the years. Also during his time as a union leader he was primarily responsible for rules to be
changed that benefited many other firefighters and public safety members across the state of Alabama.
Things such as a Huntsville city rule that didn’t allow for multiple members of the same family to work at
the fire department at the same time. A state law that allowed police and firefighters to count one extra
year of service for every five years served due to the extra stress and danger police and firefighters face
every day. Billy Ralph was also a main player in changing the way the city of Huntsville handled first
responder calls. Before, first medical responders were volunteers who would arrive on the scene of an
accident, assess the severity of the situation, relay that information to the incoming ambulance, and
perform basic medical assistance. Billy Ralph helped change things to have the fire department respond
to calls and perform all first responder assistance. Since the fire department would arrive at the scene
faster than any other department, this meant lives were saved. These are but a few examples of policies
and laws Billy Ralph helped change over the years. Honestly, there are many people who had careers
and many people whose lives were saved due to the things Billy Ralph helped change. No one ever
really knew it because Billy Ralph didn’t boast or brag of his accomplishments, he just wanted to do what
was right for everyone.
Billy Ralph can’t be talked about without bringing up his love for the Arkansas Razorbacks. People say
they are the biggest fan but few can back it up the way Billy Ralph could. During the early 80s, before
just about every college football game was televised, Billy Ralph would drive weekly 4+ hours from
Huntsville to Memphis, Tennessee just to listen to Arkansas Football on the radio. His true love for the
Razorbacks was contagious to the point that family and friends would begin to cheer for Arkansas as a
second favorite team. An entire book could be written on the crazy lengths he would go to watch, or
listen, to his Razorbacks. Billy Ralph loved the Razorbacks so deeply that his final wish is to have his
ashes spread across the University of Arkansas.
The above doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the man Billy Ralph Smith was and the lives he
touched. One of his hospice nurses came in during his last days and stated that she knew him. She
stated that Billy Ralph made sure her kids had Christmas gifts one year in the late 80s after her husband
had lost his job. That’s just the kind of man he was. Even on the brink of death, he reminded us of the
kind of life he led. The best thing that can attempt to sum Billy Ralph up is the vast number of people
who came to visit him near the end, all of whom said the same thing…” I never heard a bad word spoken
about him.”
