Billie Faye Wilbanks Turmenne

06/25/1942 - 10/03/2025

Billie Faye Wilbanks Turmenne, age 83, passed peacefully at her home in Huntsville, Alabama, on October 3, 2025. Billie was born in Huntsville to Edd Nolan Wilbanks and Margaret Lamons Wilbanks. She was a devoted wife to Paul E. Turmenne for 40 years of marriage.
From humble beginnings in the corn and cotton fields of what is now South Huntsville her roots in the community she loved were deep. She built a life marked by hard work, compassion, and unshakable faith. She graduated from Butler High School, earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma, and later received her Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University. She was also selected for the Senior Executive Fellows Program and the National and International Security Program at Harvard University, as well as numerous Army logistics and leadership programs, including the Integrated Materiel System Management Course at Fort Lee, Virginia.
At just 18, she began her civil-service career as a GS-0 typist trainee and, through decades of dedication, rose to the rank of Senior Executive Service (SES)-the highest level of civilian leadership in government. During her career, she served in many capacities, culminating as Director of the U.S. Army Materiel Command Logistics Support Activity, leading thousands of personnel in support of the Army's global mission. After retiring, Billie founded ELEIT Technology Inc. and later Alabama Engineering & Precision Manufacturing LLC, both of which continue to operate successfully today.
Yet Billie's legacy is defined not by titles or accomplishments, but by her heart. She quietly helped those in need. She gave without hesitation, seeing each act as a way to serve the Lord. She never sought recognition, always walking humbly with her God. Her life reflected the words of Micah 6:8: "To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Billie's faith in Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior, guided her every step. She especially enjoyed attending Good Shepard Catholic Church with her husband Paul. In her final days, she spoke openly of her salvation, resting in the peace of knowing her Redeemer lives.
She is survived by her husband, Paul E. Turmenne; two sons, Ernest W. Ragsdale Jr (Tracey), and Jeffrey H. Slagle (Drea); three stepdaughters, Michell Parker (Wade), Sabrina Richmond (Coe), and Suzanne Kilgore (Robert); seven grandchildren, Jordan Ragsdale Parrish (Aaron), Hunter W. Ragsdale (Bella), Eric Slagle (Laney), Elizabeth Slagle Rosenthal (Teddy), Judy Slagle, Jeffrey Slagle (Kristen), Anna Slagle; and several great-grandchildren. She also leaves half sisters and brothers, Edward Gay Wilbanks, David Joe Wilbanks, Wanda Sue Sublett, Donnie Ruth Haymon, Bobby Ray Wilbanks, Kenneth Wayne Wilbanks, Steve Nolan Wilbanks, Bill Peete, Harold Lee Cornelius, Christine Cheetam, and Wilma Jean Damron.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Edd Nolan Wilbanks and Margaret Lamons Cornelius; brother, Raymond Lee Wilbanks; and sisters, Shirley Hill, Juanita Wilcox, Margaret Ann Brown, and Carolyn Hall.

Visitation will be from 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday October 11th, 2025, at Laughlin Service Funeral Home in Huntsville, Alabama. The funeral service celebrating Billie's life will be follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow at Maple Hill Cemetery.
Flowers are welcome and may be sent to Laughlin Service Funeral Home, Huntsville, Alabama.
The family also encourages acts of kindness or charitable giving in Billie's memory-especially to those in need, as she so often did quietly and faithfully.