Billy Colvin
Posted: March 16, 2023
Billy Joe Colvin, 91, of Columbus, entered the Gates of Heaven on March 9, 2023.
A visitation will be Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 11:00 AM until 12:00 PM, at Lowndes Funeral Home. The memorial service will follow at 12:00 PM, at the funeral home with Bro. Mike Dalton officiating.
Mr. Colvin was born December 4, 1931, in the family home on County Road 9 in the Star Community, Lamar County, Alabama. His parents were Hunter Lee Colvin, Sr., and Lona Belle Colvin. After graduating from Lamar County High School in 1949, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent all 4 years of his service at Pt. Mugu Naval Base, San Diego, CA. He mostly played football as the star QB for the Pt. Mugu football team and led them to many wins against neighboring bases and surrounding junior colleges. While in the Navy, he met and married Genalice Goodman and brought her back to Mississippi with him, where she opened Little Duchess Beauty Salon in Columbus, MS. As a result of his stellar football playing, he was invited to try out as a walk-on QB for the Los Angeles Rams. Instead, he decided to take an offer from MSU Head Coach Darrell Royal to come to play QB for the Bulldogs in 1955. After 2 years at MSU as a self-proclaimed “4th string tackling dummy,” he left Coach Royal and MSU for Florence State College in Alabama, where he played every offensive down and fished the Tennessee River for the remainder of his college days. After graduating from Florence State, he had a short career as a teacher/ coach at Kennedy High School and Joe Cook Jr. High School in Columbus, MS. He decided to enter the hairdressing business and became an instructor/owner of Colvin’s Academy of Cosmetology. After several years, the school was closed due to increasing competition from area vocational and other cosmetology schools in the area. He became “his own boss” in several “Jack of all trades” that afforded him new roads to travel: from beauty supply sales to construction and remodeling to auto body shop to restaurant owner, all affording him the time and freedom to be at every practice, every game, every motocross race, every everything of his 4 beloved boys. He also loved riding and traveling the USA on his motorcycle for many years with a cast of characters and biker buddies in tow. Classic car collecting and refurbishing was also a beloved hobby and passion.
Mr. Colvin leaves behind many beloved neighborhood kids whom he loved and nurtured in motorcycles, cars, sports, treehouses, go- carts, an antebellum musical backyard playhouse theater popularly known as the MOD-N that was home and a practice place for several noted Columbus musicians, such as Mike Chain and Brian Harrison, who both went on to have lifelong careers in music.
He also leaves the love of his life for the last 20 years, Joyce Alexander; four sons, Preston Ray “Paar” (Cindy) Colvin, Timothy Joe “Dodie” Colvin, Merida Emil “Mec” (Kathy) Colvin and Dustin Hunter Colvin; granddaughters, Kaylan Marie Colvin, Micah Colvin, Erin Petty (Les) Sharp and Kristy Watkins; sister, Regina Lollar; and a host of nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Jim Colvin and Bob Colvin; and sisters, Sue Ridenhour and Gladys Rinaldi.