Mr. Billie Lee Hutchinson

Billie Lee Hutchinson was born in Salt Rock, Cabell County, West Virginia on November 20, 1931; our Dad passed away peacefully on October 27, 2020 in Placentia, CA. "OLD AGE" is what he called it. Those that went before him were his parents Ruby and Stuart Hutchinson, Brothers Dencil and George, our Mom Bonnie, Dad's wife Linda, and our sister Julie. Those of us remaining that will miss him and remember him forever are his sister Carlotta, my siblings Maletta/Mo (Rick), Billy (Sharon), myself Robin, and Jake. Also Papa's much loved and ADORING grandchildren Courtney (Dan), Jacquie (Colyn… Colis as Papa would come to call him), Kyle, and Billy (Marikate). There are many nieces and nephews and their children and we want you to know that you were loved by him very much. Dad lived during the depression, which meant he was pretty frugal. Mold on cheese just meant "cut it off and now it's SHARP cheese. " Ask him if he needed a napkin? NOPE, I have one right here under my placemat from earlier. What do you want to drink Dad, "oh, I have a glass in the fridge, just use that one." And Dad could fix ANYTHING, which he learned from his dad, and passed along to my brother, who passed it along to his sons. Our Dad set a great example for us, and he taught us the importance of working hard and having a strong work ethic. He retired after 30 years with Douglas Aircraft, but oftentimes he would get laid off at Christmas. But we never felt it; he just always made it work, and we never went without. He wasn't always able to get all three of us the special gift we wanted, so we took turns each year on who got their BIG gift. The excitement the other two of us had waiting for our sibling to open their big gift, is a testament to what he taught us about love and generosity. In later Christmas's, you could find Dad behind his VHS Video camera, and you'd might as well plan on being blinded by the spotlight that was attached. He was always good with the little money he sometimes had, and we all benefited from his ability to manage finances. Our house seemed to be the one everyone flocked to, and Dad loved his neighbors, and our friends; he knew that you all loved him back. Many sayings of his have been remembered fondly over the years. "Bull-crap", "I'll be darned", "I'm TARD (tired), "Anywaaaaaaaay", or "ahhhhhh meeeeee!" If you asked him how he was feeling, you'd likely get the response, "with my fingers!" When my brother asked him some time ago about a casket or funeral wishes, his response was "What do I care, I won't be there!" That's our Dad! Dad could be known to "holler" from time to time when we three were growing up. We learned to scramble pretty quickly to shut doors and windows so all the neighbors couldn't hear that we likely did something we should not have. BUT, we always knew if we could get Dad to laugh (which was most of the time) all would be forgotten. Watching Dad's face turn from upset to laughter is a memory we'll cherish always. Dad loved his Cowfee (Coffee) and likely where we got our love of it as well. He also loved "liver and onions" (ew), T-Bone Steaks, ham-hocks and pinto beans with cornbread, milk and crackers, BUTTERMILK, In-N-Out, and he recalled fondly many times how good the beer was when he was stationed in Germany. He so loved to go out to eat; especially breakfast (even though he was the master of Biscuits and Gravy, which he's passed on to us as well.) He and Linda always had a freezer full of T-Bone Steaks, and many weekends it was "come over, we're BBQ-ing T-Bones!" My brother and his wife took great care of our Dad the last 18 months, and sacrificed a lot to make sure he was "home" and with family and not hospitalized. We thank you both so much for everything. Maletta (Mo) was there to give them a respite from time to time, and spent as much time with Dad as possible. It bears repeating, as his grandson Kyle beautifully stated, "Thank you Papa for showing us that being a loving and caring man is as simple as waking up every day." We are all better humans because of you. We miss you terribly Dad and we will never ever ever ever forget you, your faith in God, your smile, your laugh, your corny jokes, the example you set, the lessons you taught us, or the love that we felt from you every single day. We love you Dad, Papa, Pops, Bill, Billie, Uncle Bill, Mr. Hutchinson.