[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 112 (Tuesday, June 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E619-E620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING WILLIAM MAXWELL ``BILLY'' CARROLL

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 27, 2023

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a dedicated 
husband, loving father, extraordinary funeral practitioner, humble 
community servant and friend of longstanding, Mr. William Maxwell 
``Billy'' Carroll. Sadly, Billy transitioned this life from labor to 
reward on June 18, 2023. A home going service celebrating his 
remarkable life was held on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at the Saint Mary 
Missionary Baptist Church in Baconton, Georgia.
  William Maxwell Carroll was born in Camilla, Georgia on October 6, 
1936, to the union of the late Horace Carroll of Atlanta, Georgia and 
Thelma Jester Carroll White of Albany, Georgia. He received his early 
fruits of knowledge in the public-school systems of Atlanta, Camilla 
and Moultrie, Georgia. Following high school, Billy matriculated at the 
Agricultural and Technical College of Greensboro, North Carolina where 
he majored in Business Administration. He then attended Atlanta College 
of Mortuary Science and upon completion returned to his hometown roots 
in Camilla to operate a family-owned business.
  A licensed funeral director and embalmer, Billy used his stewardship 
of the Robert Jester Mortuary to serve and comfort thousands of 
families during their times of bereavement. He and the entire staff did 
whatever it took to support the needs of those who entrusted Robert 
Jester Mortuary with the care of their dearly departed loved ones. He 
was a longtime member of the Georgia Funeral Services Practitioners 
Association, Inc. where he served as President from 1982 to 1984. He 
was chosen 4th District Mortician of the Year in 1972 and selected as 
Mortician of the year in 1988 by Alpha Gamma Chapter of Epsilon Nu 
Delta Mortuary Fraternity, Inc.
  It has been said that ``Service is the rent we pay for the space we 
occupy on this earth.'' Billy Carroll paid his rent, and he paid it 
well! He gave his time, talent and treasure to numerous social and 
civic organizations to include City of Camilla Zoning Board; Mitchell 
County Hospital Endowment Board; Camilla Chamber of Commerce; Kiwanis 
Club of Mitchell County; NAACP; and Boys and Girls Club; to name a few. 
He was appointed by Gov. George Busbee to serve on the Georgia State 
Commission on Indian Affairs and by Gov. Joe Frank Harris to serve on 
the Governor's Education Review Commission. He

[[Page E620]]

was politically astute, active, a trail blazer and was the first 
African American to run for City Commissioner in Camilla, Georgia. He 
received the Living History Award in 2009, the Great Man Award in 2017 
and was honored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Georgia 
Department of Public Safety and was nominated by the African American 
Funeral Services Museum for the Hall of Fame.
  A faithful man of God, Billy was an active member of Saint Peter AME 
Church where he was both a Steward and Trustee.
  Billy accomplished much in his life, but none of it would have been 
possible without the grace of God, the love and support of his beloved 
wife, Naomi, and his two children, William Carroll, Jr., and Vinai 
Carroll English.
  On a personal note, Billy was my friend and longtime supporter. Over 
the years he gave me wise and sage counsel, for which l will be forever 
grateful. Likewise, during his life he did so much for so many for so 
long. He touched countless lives and because he did, the world is a 
better place.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the 765,000 people of the 2nd 
Congressional District in honoring the life and service of Mr. William 
Maxwell ``Billy'' Carroll and in extending our deepest condolences to 
Mr. Carroll's family, friends and all who mourn his loss. May they all 
be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in 
the days, weeks and months ahead.

                          ____________________