Billy Wayne Pearce, 78 of Memphis, passed away February 13, 2023. He was born in Benton, KY on November 7, 1944 to Floyd Burton Pearce, Jr. and Annie Belle Barber Pearce.

He is survived by his wife, Betsy Brentwood Gee Pearce; two sons, Floyd Brentwood Pearce (Pamela) and Robert Daniel Pearce; and grandchildren, Adren, Caleb, and Emery Pearce.

He attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville where he achieved a Master's degree; along with meeting his wife of 54 years, Betsy Brentwood Gee Pearce. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Union University where his sons and daughter-in-law attended as well. His grandsons are planning to continue their education at Union University to follow in the family legacy.

Billy was a Southern Baptist Minister since 1960 and resided over 16 churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Mississippi during his time in ministry. He was the pastor of Midway Baptist Church for eight years (1983-1991) and Rugby Hills Baptist Church in Memphis for 16 years (1998-2014).

He attended all of his sons' baseball games and helped as assistant coach when needed. Through baseball he taught the values of sportsmanship, hard work, discipline, teamwork, and healthy expression of competition.

He enjoyed old western movies and could identify the actors, even the minor characters, and had the knowledge of what other movies or television shows they appeared in. He also enjoyed reading, and encouraged his children to enjoy it as well. Most of his life, his house was filled with books, his yard was filled with cats, his heart was filled with love for people, and his actions were led by a sincere effort to be a living example of Christ's love for all people. He had the humility to know when he succeeded in these efforts and the courage to improve when he felt like he failed.

He dedicated his life to serving others and found meaning in attending to the sick, counseling the perplexed, and comforting the bereaved.

He loved his family, congregations, and most of all, God.