Billie Marie Wright

She had 1 sister, Reva Reynolds and 2 brothers, Johnny and Marvin Reynolds. Billie had 5 sons; Jeff Stallings, Steven Stallings and Keith Stallings, 2 step sons David Norman and Bill Norman.

Billie is survived by her husband Ernest Lee wright, her sister Reva May Crawford, her son Keith Jason Stallings, her step sons David Norman and Bill Norman, her Granddaughter Ashley Stallings, her great grandchildren Angelina Marie Reeves, Twins Rylan Logan Burks and Jayce Tanner Burks and Kendall-Lee Jade Allen.

Billie was a God fearing proud Texan woman who loved her career of being a beautician, she also enjoyed working at multiple schools including Copperas Cove High School as a Cafeteria lady, and was a proud longtime member of The Ladies Auxiliary. Billie studied art and was a very talented artist. She received multiple rewards for her art. Billie also went to college and majored in cosmetology. Among the many hobbies she had, she loved most to paint, dance, crotchet and sewing, playing tennis, camping, country music and BBQ’s, but most of all she loved being a mother.

She was a wonderful mother and enjoyed doing all sorts of things with her kids. She would always cook them good meals, joked and played with them, took them to the lake and camped often at Dana Peak. She would cook a big breakfast, and invited the neighbors that were camping near by and they would invite Billie and her boys over to their camping spot for lunch or supper. Took them swimming often and had BBQ’s. She threw them amazing birthday parties. Her youngest son Keith recalls his favorite birthday party she threw for him. He was about 8 or 9 years old, She invited all of his friends over and they played all sorts of games and she made him a birthday cake shaped like a guitar.

She worked doing what she loved most, as a beautician. She always had to have her hair and makeup done, everyday. If she didn’t she wouldn’t leave the house. While working at the beauty salon she taught her son Keith how to do hair and said he was very good at it, she’d give him the money she earned doing hair so he could buy a toy or candy. A few years later sadly Billie buried her oldest son Jeff Stallings. He was a teenager at the time of his death. A few years after that happened she buried her husband Roper Stallings, the father of her children.

Years later she moved to Copperas Cove Texas, re marrying and taking in David Norman and Bill Norman as her step children. She raised them as her own. She later became a cafeteria worker at Copperas Cove High School. Around this time of her life her son Keith and his high school sweetheart Lisa Rocha became pregnant with her first and only grandchild, Ashley Stallings. She took Ashley in as more of a daughter and raised her as her own from the minute she was brought to her home from the hospital taking on a motherly role at age 50. She had always wanted a girl, as she had 5 boys. She loved making Ashley clothes and dressing her up like a baby doll. Always had her hair perfect. Threw her birthday parties, taught her everything she knew. From doing hair, crotchet, sewing and gardening to two stepping, painting, tennis and cooking.

6years later she met the love of her life, Ernest Wright, they were married July 18th, 1988. Ernest recalls, he “first saw Billie at a yard sale over on Keenan Ave”, the house she proudly owned. He stopped by in a military truck with his co worker, but they didn’t talk to each other then. Around a year later, his buddy Chuck Butler, invited him on a double date to a restaurant called chess’s here in Copperas Cove, TX with his girlfriend Ollie and her best friend Billie. Ernest recalls “ I walked in and immediately fell in love with Billies hair” After eating Ernest followed her home to make sure she got there safely. He ended up visiting her every night for about 6 months, then one night he stayed the night and the next morning said, “Billie will you marry me?” She said “I don’t know”. The next week he asked her again and she said yes! On their wedding day, Billie’s granddaughter Ashley was running under all the chairs yelling “no nana! Don’t do it nana!” They we’re laughing so hard that they could hardly say ” I Do”. They were happily married for 23 years.

Billie loved dancing. She’d wear beautiful blouses, long beautiful skirts, western belts and cowboy boots with her beautiful blonde hair. She taught Ernest how to 2 step and they went dancing very often. They would also dance in their living room to old country music. They loved to go camping together. They’d take Ashley and go out to Dana Peak often. She’d always cook a giant breakfast outside. Include the neighbors, friends etc just as she had always done. Billie loved painting, she was very talented. She loved gardening and growing her own food. She was an amazing cook. Her favorite tradition was cooking thanksgiving. She has recipes passed down from her great grandma that she cooked every thanksgiving and passed them down to her granddaughter Ashley to continue the tradition. . She loved sewing and crotchet, often made clothes, blankets, curtains, pillows and stuffed animals. She loved watching westerns on TV, her favorite was Gun Smoke. She also loved Bob Ross. She loved BBQ’s and get-togethers with friends and family, always had good food to eat and jokes to tell. Her favorite colors were yellow and green. She loved playing chess, rumikub and cards. She loved her dogs. She loved animals. She often told the story of a baby bird she found that she nursed and took care of. After the bird got older it stayed with her. It would fly off and do bird things but always come back to her. She’d let it fly around her home freely. She loved that bird so much. However years later, it flew off and never came back. She bred poodles and sold them. Her and her sister Reva always had at least 2 poodles they owned and took care of. She also groomed dogs. She loved grooming poodles. She loved their curly hair and the hair style poodles were known to have. She had 2 chickens that she loved to watch. Her great grand granddaughter Angelina named them. She had many many animals throughout her life. All different kinds.

She had 4 great grandchildren. She was a lot older at this time of her life and wanted to do so many things with Ashley and all of her Great grandchildren that she was unfortunately unable to do but she sure did try. She loved them all, with all of her beautiful golden heart. She refused to be called grandma, she only could be called nana. Her first great grand baby was named after her and shared her middle name Marie. A dark haired, blue eyed, freckle faced granddaughter Angelina Marie Reeves. They loved to paint together, do each other’s hair and makeup and cook together. Her next great grand babies were Twins, with red hair and freckles, Rylan Burks and Jayce Burks. They enjoyed painting together. 6 years later, her last great grandchild was born. A dark haired blue eyed baby girl with a beautiful smile, Kendall-Lee Jade Allen, named after her husband Ernest Lee Wright. She loved her very much and held her frequently. She only got to know her as a baby unfortunately, Kendall turned 1yr old exactly 2 weeks before the good lord called Bille home. She enjoyed many holidays, get-togethers and BBQ’s with her family until she was no longer able to.She loved talking on the phone all day with her sister Reva Crawford. They told each other everything.

She enjoyed her son in law Cj, coming over to play chess with her. They’d have a beer together, sit outside on the back porch listening to old country music on the radio and play chess for hours. This was during the last 2 years of her life. She often played chess on her computer, because she didn’t have anyone else to play it with. Until Cj came over.

She enjoyed her grandchildren and great grandchildren coming over for BBQ’s, birthday party’s and holidays all the time. She’d sit out back and watch them hunt Easter eggs, open Christmas or birthday presents, run around and play etc..

She would let her great grandchildren get into her painting supplies and paint pictures on canvass’s. She would show them techniques and watch them have fun making a mess.

She loved cooking with her great granddaughter Angelina. She taught her how to cook eggs, pancakes and much more. She’d let Angie get into her kitchen and be as creative as she wanted to. Her and her husband Ernest would always eat whatever Angie would make. No matter how it came out, she’d say she loved it. Angie recalls making nana a cake for Mother’s Day one year. She went in the kitchen while Billie was outback with the other grand babies, and baked a cake. She cut out a slice, sat it on the table where her Nana always sat, with a glass of milk and a letter saying “Happy Mother’s Day, I love you Nana, Love Angie “

We all have so many fond memories of Billie, She was the heart of the family. She touched so many people. She is the very definition of home. Wherever she was at, she made everyone around her feel like they were home. No matter what she was going through in her personal life she was always a good conversation, a listening ear, a warm heart of gold, a welcoming home, a good laugh, a smiling face, a giver to anyone who needs it, a good meal and full belly, a loving, strong, talented, proud, hard-working woman, a wonderful mother, grandmother, wife, sister, aunt and friend.

She loved her family very much, She was a very loved woman and will be greatly missed by each and every one of us. We will carry her with us and wait for the day we all see her again.

A visitation for Billie will be held Tuesday, October 12, 2021 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home, 211 W Avenue B, Copperas Cove, Texas 76522. A funeral service will follow at 10:30 AM. A burial will occur Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, 11463 State Highway 195, Killeen, Texas 76542.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.crawfordbowerscopperascove.com for the Wright family.