Billy Joe Rylant, Sr.

Billy Joe “Bill” Rylant, Sr., 72, of Lafe died September 9, 2008. He was born March 10, 1936, in Walcott, AR, to Willie Bruce and Hattie May (Lovelady) Rylant. He was a 1955 graduate of Greene County Tech High School. He worked for Kirk Construction and Equipment Company before joining the U.S. Army in 1958. He spent the next three years as a launch control operator in a surface-to-air missile company and was honorably discharged from service as a Specialist E-4. Upon returning home, he owned and operated Paragould Auto & Truck Repair. In 1976, he began his career for the Greene County Tech School district as the Superintendent of Transportation, Maintenance, and Grounds. During his many years in the school system, he took much pride in his leadership roles at both local and state levels. In 1980-81, he was the President of the Greene County Energy Commission; President of the Arkansas Association of Pupil Transportation in 1982-83; President of the Arkansas Plant Management Association in 1985-86; President of Arkansas School Business Officials in 1991-92. He served on many state and local committees in education and was named “Arkansas School Business Administrator of the Year” in 1994. Additionally, he served on the Arkansas Association of Education Administrators for 10 years, and was an advanced school bus driver instructor for the Arkansas Department of Education for 26 years. He retired from school service in 1998 and became self-employed with Rylant’s HVACR and Asbestos Services, operating the business with his family. He was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lafe. He was an avid hunter, enjoyed riding motorcycles, and was a NASCAR enthusiast. He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Archie Rylant, Henry Ray “Hank” Rylant, and Virgil Lee Rylant; and one grandson, Zach Rylant. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Rylant of the home; two sons, Bill Rylant, Jr. and Andy Rylant of Paragould; one daughter, Crystal Rylant of Lafe; one step-daughter, Laura (Shepherd) Branch of Little Rock; three grandchildren, Drew Rylant, Chandra Rylant, and Blake Rylant of Paragould; four sisters, Alice Mooneyham and Joan Harvey of Paragould, Barbara Lacewell of San Antonio, TX, and Patsy Lenderman of Henderson, AR; one brother, Willie “Bruce" Rylant of Memphis, TN. Visitation will be held at Heath Funeral Home in Paragould on Thursday evening from 6-8 pm. Funeral service will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lafe on Friday at 10:30 am with Pastor Curt Dwyer officiating. Interment will follow at Greene County Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Tim Brightwell, Perry Lashley, Nick Lashley, Ben Cox, Wilkes Branch, Jerry Sims, and L.C. Tedder. The family requests memorials be made to UAMS Cancer Research Institute and to St. John’s Lutheran Church.