Billy Wright Cole

Bill Cole, 71, passed away at home on March 15, 2026 after a strong-fought battle with small cell  lung and brain cancer.

Bill was born to Robert Wright Cole and Grayce Edna (Miller) Cole on July 4, 1954 in Borger, Texas.

Bill spent his childhood years in Amarillo, Texas and the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area of California and moved to Kansas in 1986.

Bill was an apprentice mortician in both California and Texas.  He spent most of his career in retail management, working in management for Pizza Hut in Gardner, Kansas for roughly 13 years, and was most recently employed with Walmart in Olathe for 18 years.

Bill loved helping the less fortunate, always being  a part of canned-food drives for the hungry, working in the church food pantry, collecting winter coats for the children, and giving money to customers that he felt needed a helping hand.

Bill's greatest love was for his animals; they were not just animals - they were all his children and he loved them dearly.

One of Bill's most remarkable characteristics was his sense of humor. He loved to see the reaction he received from others with his crazy antics and the crazy hats that he wore on various holidays. He was one-in-a-million, there was no one quite like him.  He cared about what people thought of him but also loved joking around with others and loved the laughter it brought to others.

He was a very strong man, and he overcame so many obstacles in life and chose to look at the bright side, in that each day was a new tomorrow.

He was also a very spiritual person who believed in Jesus and he visited with his sister often about the Lord, as Bill knew what his battle with cancer may bring. 

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and three sisters.  Bill leaves behind his sister Katherine Cole-Esparza (David) of Silver Lake, Kansas, two nephews Danny Saunders of McKinney, Texas and Phillip Alcala of Allen, Texas, a life-long friend Loyce Henderson of Arkansas, other extended family members, and so many wonderful friends who he carried in his heart as family.

To share a memory of Billy, please visit the guestbook below.