Billy Earl Alford

Funeral Services will be held 2:00PM Tuesday 10/3/23 at Oliver Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Fellowship Baptist Church in Choctaw County MS. The Graveside/Committal Services will be held at Oliver Funeral Home Chapel instead of Fellowship Cemetery. Visitation will be Noon until 2:00PM Tuesday 10/3/23 at Oliver Funeral Home. Billy Earl Alford, age 85, went to his heavenly home on his birthday, September 28, 2023. He was born a twin on September 28, 1938, to Osie and Terah Alford in Cumberland, MS. He went to Cumberland High School and attended Marvin Hill Methodist Church. On December 21, 1963, he married Brenda Dobbs Alford of Mathiston and had two daughters, Hope and Susan. They were married for over 59 years. Billy loved to hunt and fish. He enjoyed life, never met a stranger, and was always happy. He was employed by the MS Department of Transportation in Ackerman, MS, until his retirement in 2000. He was a member of the Masons, Deacon at Fellowship Baptist Church and served in the U.S. Army. His father taught him how to play the guitar as a child and he grew up playing and singing bluegrass music with his brothers. In high school, he and his twin brother, along with their friends, were members of their own band called The Mississippi Six. He was best known for singing and playing the guitar but could also play the banjo, mandolin, and piano. Through the years, he sang with his daughters, son n law, and friends at church and local venues. Later in life, he sang with The Backporch Pickers and their picture was published in the 1999 edition of Country Magazine. In 2007, he was featured in an article highlighting the Sparta Opry in Mississippi Magazine. He and many of his family members and friends sang at the Sparta Opry for many years and his picture appears on the sign for the Mississippi Country Music Trail located at the Sparta Opry in Sparta, MS. He had two grandchildren, Isaac and Grace, who he adored and they in turn deeply loved and admired him. He spent countless days supporting them and following them to all of their activities. He is survived by his wife. Brenda Alford of Mathiston, two daughters, Hope (Neal) Pollard and Susan Jones; two grandchildren, Isaac Jones and Grace Jones, and his twin brother, James (Martha) Alford of Ackerman, MS, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Osie and Terah Alford, two brothers, Ruble Alford and Howard "Hop" Alford and one sister, Mary Helen Reeves. Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM Tuesday, 10/3/23, at Oliver Funeral Home Chapel with burial in Fellowship Baptist Church in Choctaw County, MS. The Graveside/Committal Services will be held at Oliver Funeral Home Chapel instead of Fellowship Cemetary. Visitation will be Noon until 2:00 PM Tuesday, 10/3/23, at Oliver Funeral Home. Officiating the services will be Brother Brent Manasco. Pallbearers are Butch Blake, Curtis Burton, Jack Henry, Glenn Parkerson, Rodney Pollard, and Bill Shumaker