June 5, 1941 – April 3, 2023
Bill Curtis Colley was born to the union of Oliver Colley and Etta Rigdon Colley on June 5, 1941 in Red River Parish, Louisiana. He was greeted by his Lord and Savior as he entered the Promised Land on the afternoon of April 3, 2023 in Alexandria, Louisiana at the home of his loving and devoted niece and caregiver, Marie Colley Dube, and her husband Danny.
Mr. Colley was preceded in death by his mother and father and four brothers: Waylan Colley, and wife Joan, of Coushatta, Louisiana; Floyd “Pete” Colley, and wife Mary, of Shreveport, Louisiana; Glenn Colley, and wife Martha, of Laurel, Mississippi; and Tom Colley, and wife Nancy, of Campti, Louisiana. One sister also predeceased him: Helen Colley Pullig, and husband Terrell, of Coushatta, Louisiana. He is survived by one sister: Mary Colley Lawrence, and husband Donny, of Coushatta, Louisiana.
Mr. Colley was a member of The Pentecostals of Bossier City. At the age of 17, he was baptized in Jesus name in Brushy Bayou by Reverend Clyde O. Cannon. His baptism was witnessed by his praying mother and JoAnn Cannon. He was a hard worker, and as a young lad, he picked cotton for two cents a pound. When his sack was full, Bill was unable to lift it, so Goldy Collins, the owner’s daughter, would come and carry the cotton in to be weighed. His first formal job was setting headline news type for the Hammond Daily Star newspaper.
Bill graduated from Martin High School in 1959 and then earned his Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1963. Always eager to learn, he would go on to earn a Masters in Education in 1973 and a Masters +30 in 1976 from Louisiana State University. Mr. Colley spent a total of 50 years in the Education System, including 36 years in the classroom where he taught Math, English, and Computer Science. During his illustrious career, Mr. Colley was honored to teach David Bernard in primary school in Hammond, Louisiana. Dr. David Bernard is currently the General Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church International. Although he taught in several school districts around the state, the majority of his teaching career was spent in his beloved Caddo Parish from where he retired as Supervisor of Student Teaching.
A celebration of Mr. Colley’s life, officiated by Bishop Jerry Dean and Pastor Ryan Dean, will be held at 11:00 Wednesday morning, April 5, 2023, in the Current Center of The Pentecostals of Bossier City, 2833 Viking Drive, Bossier City, Louisiana. The family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. until time of the service. Interment will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Thomas-Wren Cemetery in Martin, Louisiana.
Pallbearers honored to serve will be Jackie Nelson, Jeff Nelson, Larry Rigdon, Linn Robertson, Ty Jones, and Will Jones. Honorary Pallbearers will be Wilmer Davis, Wayne Carr, and Don Schroeder.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Tupelo Children’s Mansion, 1801 East Main Street, Tupelo, Mississippi 38804, or online at mansionkids.org.
"Say not in grief he is no more, but live in thankfulness that he was."
—Hebrew Proverb
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.HillCrestMemorialFH.com for the Colley family.
