Billy "Bill" Bernard Britt

Bill Britt August 28, 1931 - January 23, 2013 Billy Bernard Britt, Korean War Veteran, founder and leader of Britt World Wide, and Amway Founders Crown Ambassador and Founders Council Member, died on Wednesday, January 23, 2013. He was 81 years old. Bill was born to Edward and Vivian Britt in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on August 28, 1931. He joined the United States Army in 1949, and was quickly selected to attend the Army's Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Bill was one of only two candidates in his class without a college degree to be chosen. He excelled in OCS and graduated in the top two of his class. He went on to serve honorably as an officer in the Korean War, eventually rising to command a floating bridge unit. After finishing active duty, Bill continued to serve his country as commander of a National Guard Reserve Unit. Bill attended college on the G.I. Bill at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., where he studied civil engineering. While in college, Bill met his beloved wife Peggy Garner in 1956. They were married the next year on July 13, 1957. After college Bill worked as an assistant to the City Manager in Raleigh, and then as City Manager in Sanford, N.C. and Goldsboro, N.C., and Town Manager in Carrboro, N.C. Bill went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Not long after, Bill was introduced to Amway by a friend who knew that Bill had recently lost $10,000.00 on a failed business venture. With an initial investment of only $25.00, Bill joined Amway in 1970 in an effort to make back the $10,000.00 he had lost. In the following years Bill catapulted to success, reaching the Crown Ambassador level of the Amway organization in the United States and India. Bill believed that Amway was built on people helping people, and he continued throughout his life working to inspire and motivate others to achieve success. He was instrumental in forming numerous other businesses outside of the Amway organization. Bill is survived by his wife, Peggy, his sisters Barbara Todd (Fayetteville, N.C.), Ginny Kiker (Raleigh, N.C.), and Edith Lynn Kirkland (Orlando, FL), and his brothers Eddie Britt (Fayetteville, N.C.), Bobby Britt (Raleigh, N.C.), and Jimmy Britt (Orlando, FL). He was preceded in death by his mother, Vivian Britt, his father, Edward Britt, and his sister, Shirley Faye McDonald A visitation will be held on Sunday, January 27, 2013, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Rouse Funeral Home at 108 N. Caswell Street, La Grange, N.C., 28551. The funeral will be held Monday, January 28, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. at Rouse Funeral Home, with the burial to follow at Fairview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to any of the following churches where Bill and Peggy were associate members, or to the following charitable organizations: La Grange Christian Church, P.O. Box 442, La Grange, N.C., 28551; Blowing Rock First Baptist, P.O. Box 3, Blowing Rock, N.C., 28605; Palm Valley Baptist Church, 4890 Palm Valley Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 32082; Britt World Wide Charities, 150 Golden Drive, Unit 110, Durham, N.C., 27705; Easter Seals, the Wounded Warrior Project, Samaritan's Purse, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, or the U.S. Dream Academy. Online condolences may be expressed at www.rousefh.com. Arrangements are with Rouse Funeral Home, La Grange.