William Vance Avalon Ii

1948 - 2021

William Vance Avalon II

William Vance Avalon II, 72, died unexpectedly in a single vehicle accident on Thursday, July 15, 2021. Visitation will be at St. Therese Catholic Church on Monday, July 19, from 3 to 6 p.m., followed by a wake service at 6 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, July 20, at St. Therese at 11 a.m.followed by burial in Lakewood Memorial Park. Visitation will also be held from 9 to 11 a.m.

Billy was born on November 28, 1948, in Greenwood Mississippi, to William Vance Avalon and Jeanette Tucker Avalon and moved to Jackson when he was five. He attended St. Mary Elementary, St. Joseph High School, Hinds Community College, Belhaven College, and Mississippi College.

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1968 and served 4 years. Ever loyal to the Corps, he saluted and greeted fellow Marines with "Semper Fi" until the end.

On Christmas Day in December of 1972, he married the "most perfect woman in the world," Janna Pepper Avalon. Over the past 48 plus years, the two have shared true love in spite of hard times including the death of their two daughters, Keisha and Bridget.

After his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, he attended Belhaven College while working for the city of Jackson at two Senior Citizens Centers. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and began teaching at St. Joseph High School in Jackson. Throughout the 42 years of his career, he taught English and Literature at St. Joe, Forest Hill High School, Madison Central High School, Hinds Community College and Mississippi College. He later received a Master's Degree from Mississippi College. Mr. Avalon's students are a true testament to his commitment and passion for teaching, and proved so by electing him as Star Teacher 9 times during his career. Through challenges and tough love with help from the likes of Yeats, Faulkner, Hemmingway, Lawrence, Tolkien, Shakespeare, Vonnegut, Cummins, Twain, Gaines, Dickinson, Dostoevsky, Frost and so many others, he taught students how to think for themselves, question their world, and embark on the road less traveled.

During these years, Billy also coached girls basketball, boys basketball, football, and baseball at different levels. Coach Avalon coached with a passion and energy that was unmatched. One of his greatest accomplishments was winning the only South Mississippi Girls Championship in St. Joe history. Success Organization Attitude and Pride (SOAP) was the foundation of his program. Without a doubt, he led by example.

After his coaching days, Billy's coach, D.M. Howie, recruited him to become a baseball umpire. Later, Billy and Janna edited the book, "Rock and Fire", the autobiography of his mentor Coach Howie. He took a hiatus from teaching and worked at Catholic Charities for a couple years as Director of Emergency Assistance. Previously, he had also taught English as a second language to Vietnamese refugees for Catholic Charities.

Billy was preceded in death by his parents, his daughters, Keisha and Bridget Avalon, his brothers, Peter, Patrick, Michael and Louis "Butch".

Survivors include his wife, Janna and three sons, Michael-David (Kayla), Vance, and Patrick, six grandchildren; Brooks, Jackson, Tucker, Harper, Liam, and Noah; three brothers; Tommy (Traci) Avalon, Timmy (Mary) Avalon, and Mark (Dannie) Avalon; two sisters; Vera Avalon and Joanne (Robert) Turner, and numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces.

If you knew Billy, you know he enjoyed helping others and having a good time. With a servant's heart, he would lend a hand to anyone who crossed his path. Billy saw all friends, colleagues, former students, and many others as family. Everyone was family to Billy and his family will miss his poetry, his humor, his get togethers, his advice, his stories, and above all his love!

So it goes…

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Operation Shoestring, www.operationshoestring.org, PO Box 1123, Jackson, MS 39283, Stewpot Community Services, www.stewpot.org, 1100 W Capitol St, Jackson, MS 39203