William "Billy Joe" Joseph Copley

William “Billy Joe” Joseph Copley, 86, of Gray, Georgia, passed away on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at Hart’s Mortuary, Jones County Chapel.  Visitation will be held on Friday evening, February 21, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, in the Jones County Chapel. Bill will be laid to rest privately, at the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Bill was born on August 11, 1938, in Huntington, West Virginia, to the late Cecil Lloyd and Sarah Arbutus Copley.  He was a proud veteran of the United States Air Force, beginning his service when he was seventeen years old. Bill received his GED while in the Air Force. He was stationed in Iceland, Brazil, Trinidad, and Antigua; and then he became stationed at Robins Air Force Base.  He met Betty while at Robins, at the USO Club in Macon, Georgia.  After he and Betty married, they moved to California and lived there for fifty years. He also was in the Air Force Reserves until 1987. While in the Reserves, he served on active duty in South Korea, Philippines, numerous trips to Okinawa, Japan, Hawaii, and Washington State.  He was employed and retired from the United States Postal Service in 1992, just shy of thirty-three years. He continued working with the USPS as a contractor and was a Route Inspector from 1994 to 1996.   Bill loved taking pictures of trains, watching movies, and listening to music. He loved baseball and college football, especially Florida State University.  He also loved traveling, but due to his declining health, he was not able to travel as he had wished. He was a hard worker and always put his family first.   Bill will be missed dearly by his family and friends.

Bill is survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Betty Ann Copley; his daughter, Rebecca Beeman (Joseph) of Gray, Georgia; his grandsons, Daniel Beeman of Tallahassee, Florida, and Matthew Beeman (Morgan) of Macon, Georgia; his great grandchildren, Lucas James Beeman and Spencer Anne Beeman; his sister-in-law, Lucille Couey of Toomsboro, Georgia; and his brother-in-law, Bobby Walden (Shirley) of Milledgeville, Georgia. He is preceded in death by his parents, Cecil Lloyd Copley and Sarah Booth Ray; his brother-in-law, Jerald Couey; and his sister (cousin), Pauline Johnson.

Please visit www.hartsmort.com to express your condolences.

Hart’s Mortuary, Jones County Chapel, 307 Pecan Lane, Gray, Georgia 31032, has charge of the arrangements.