Billy Lee Bird, of Seward, was born Sept. 20, 1933, to Bill and Olene (Blagg) Bird in Gravelly, Arkansas.
Billy grew up right outside the small town of Gravelly, Arkansas, and loved nothing more than fishing and spending time with the older men on the porch at his dad’s service station, playing dominos. Billy spent a lot of time with his best friend, Twain Willis. As an adult, he would hear Twain call out “Hey Bird” and they would be gone. Billy graduated from Fouche Valley High School in 1951. He was a talented athlete and excellent in basketball, he was small and fast. In 1953, he enlisted in the Air Force, which was during the Korean War. He was sent to Okinawa, Japan. Upon returning to the states in 1955, he was stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base.
Billy met Barbara Chloupek soon after returning and they started dating. They were united in marriage on May 6, 1956, in Seward. Billy was discharged from the military in 1957 and the two moved down to Arkansas, where he attended college before moving back to Seward and attending Concordia Teachers College. Upon returning to Nebraska, Billy found a job at the Ford auto dealership and The I-H farm equipment dealership as a mechanic and diesel specialist. He later worked at the Utica body shop. In his younger years, he spent his weekends drag racing at the local strips. He also attended dirt track races in the area. One of his most exciting trips was attending the 1963 Daytona NASCAR race in Florida. His ideal vacation consisted of traveling and rock hunting. Some other vacations were spent exploring the western and southern states of the United States.
Billy was an avid sportsman and loved being out in nature hunting and shooting his bow. He was also very interested in geology and minerals. Billy was a kind and gentle soul. He loved country music, cars – more specifically 1955 through 1957 Ford Thunderbirds and all kinds of Fords. He also enjoyed gardening. Although Billy was a soft-spoken man, he was a tease and loved to joke with his friends. Billy had his fair share of obstacles throughout his life. One that really impacted him was losing his eye sight in 2008. Billy was a firm believer that Jesus Christ was his savior and would say that he was just wanting to go home. Billy went home to Jesus on Jan. 2, 2024, in Seward, at the age of 90 years, 3 months and 13 days.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Bird of Seward; cousins and numerous friends. Billy is preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Olene Bird; grandmother, Cynthia Bird; aunts and uncles, Irene Burt, Ted Bird, Charlie Lee Hefflefinger, Oscar Lee, Valera Marshall and their spouses.
A memorial service will be Friday, Jan. 12, at 11 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward. A private committal is planned. Memorial contributions are suggested in care of Quilts of Valor or the donor's choice. Arrangements by Volzke Funeral Home.
