Pastor Billy, 56, has been a part-time local pastor since 1999. He served as pastor of Lutcher-Donaldsonville United Methodist Churchs in 1998-2000. From 2000-2002, he was pastor of Napoleon Avenue UMC. From 2002-2005 he was an associate at Gretna United Methodist Church. He has been pastor at Lacombe UMC since Sept. 27, 2006 and became pastor of Fitzgerald-Lacombe in 2007.
A multi-award-winning journalist since 1975, including sports editor of The Starkville Daily News, The Columbus Commerical Dispatch and the Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi, the Reno Gazette-Journal in Nevada, Billy was a deputy sports editor and prep editor of The Times-Picayune. He demoted himself out of management after 30 years in 2004 to become a high school sports writer so he could have more time in ministry. He has finished in the top three in the state sports writing contest for high school writers in each of the years since. He retired in November 2009 for full-time ministry.
He and his wife of 254 years, the former Mary McGaughey, moved to the Northshore in 2006. He is the father of three adult children, Jason, Shanna and Carrie and the father-in-law of Becky, Jason's wife. He and Mary have five grandchildren, Gabriel, Parker, Gavin,Olivia and Emma Rose .
He is the author of One Man, One Cross, an autobiography published in 2000. He and Mary went to Israel for a 10-day journey where Jesus walked in 2010.
His home phone is 985-882-2498. His cell is 985-640-9009. He and Mary live at 61428 Yaupon Trail, Lacombe, La., along with Sammie, Tweety, Logan, Paris, Elsie, Harry, Callie and Trudy, The menagerie of pets. He mourns the loss of Frankie, his beloved pet. Call anytime on the cell, or email at billyt62@hotmail.com.
