William Day

William Leslie (Bill) Day, 70, passed away peacefully at his home on February 16th, 2018. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi on August 31st, 1947, the son of the late William T. Day and Eleanor J. Day.

Funeral services will be held at Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Brandon on Tuesday, February 20th. Visitation will begin at 10:00AM with the service following at 11:00. A graveside service will be held at 2:30PM at Parkway Cemetery in Kosciusko.

Bill is survived by his loving wife Ava, her mother, Edna Sims, and his two sons, Michael Day and James R. Day of Brandon; his brother-in-law James Sims and wife Brenda, as well as his sister, Beth Heins, and brothers Charles and Glen Day, as well as many nieces and nephews.

His 37-year career as an engineer with South Central Bell/Bellsouth was the highlight of his life. He began that career in the Air Force as a member of the 172nd Military Airlift Group, based in Flowood, where he served for 28 years, and from which he retired with the rank of Staff Sargeant. His retirement from Bellsouth in 2007 left him longing for more telephony-related activity, so he worked another four years at C-Spire/Telepak until his second retirement in 2012.

Bill loved all things mechanical, electronic, and automotive. His analytical, engineer mentality and endless quest to know how things worked and what it took to fix them served him well in all his many endeavors and interests. His vast knowledge base, do-it-right-the-first-time approach, and tireless work ethic was an inspiration to everyone that worked alongside him, especially his two sons. Always ready to lend a hand, he never said “no” to anyone that needed anything at any time, and preferred to be the quiet, observant thinker in the room and never the life of the party. He will be remembered for his classic dry wit and a stern look when needed that always got his point across without confrontation.

In the end, it was not old age or boredom that took him away from us, but a relentless disease called scleroderma. He did not deserve the suffering he endured in his last few months. His mind still sharp, he fought to understand and fix his illness as he had done with every other challenge he took on; but as his body quickly turned against him, he was forced to admit that this battle was the one he would lose.

You will be missed by us all, Bill Day, but never forgotten. We thank God for the time we had with you.