Billy Ray Factor

In the fair city of Oklahoma City, where Billy Ray Factor first drew breath under the watchful gaze of the summer sun on the sixth of August in the year of our Lord 1999, a soul of boundless energy and love began his mortal sojourn. Known to all as Bill, a man of passionate heart and adventurous spirit, he hath crossed the bar on the twenty-third of August 2024, in the gentle embrace of Edmond, OK, leaving behind the mortal coil to join the choir invisible.
Welcomed into this realm by his mother Gisela Rice and Wesley Factor he spent his childhood growing into the man he became and welcomed his little brother, Bobby Factor. As time went on, he took on the important duty of being the man of the house helping his mother and brother as they traversed this chapter of their life alone. As fate would have it Jim Lancaster, whom Bill considered his father in every sense came into his life, along with his sister, Alyssa Lancaster. In the tapestry of his life, the vibrant threads of his niece Violet Lancaster, nephews Samson and Tazden Tosh, niece Alice Vasques, grandparents Drake and Lu Rice, great-aunt Nancy Henry, aunt Megan Epperson, cousin Olivia Epperson, and great-uncle and aunt John and Susan Gorrell, as well as cousins Josh and Zach Updegrove, were interwoven to create a family portrait of warmth and devotion.
The halls of Edmond Memorial High School knew his footsteps well, as he traversed them with diligence until his graduation in the year 2018. Thereafter, the hallowed grounds of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah were graced by his presence from 2019 until 2020, where he pursued the expansion of his mind and the enrichment of his soul.
In the realm of toil and trade, Bill's journey was as varied as the many hues of the setting sun. His labor bore fruit at Johnnie's, Big Lots, and Bakers Furniture in Tahlequah, sweetened the day at Dunkin Donuts, and strengthened the sinews of All My Sons Moving and McLane Distribution. Beyond these endeavors, he was an ordained minister, a speaker of sacred words, and a champion of the Lorcana Tourney, where his strategic mind and noble heart led him to victory.
The chronicles of Bill's life tell of a man who cherished the company of kith and kin, reveling in the camaraderie of board games and card games. An avid collector, his ears were ever attuned to the harmonies of old obscure records, and his palate was a willing adventurer in the quest for exotic foods and the thrill of food challenges. As dusk painted the sky with its crimson brush, Bill was oft found with a glass of wine in hand, perched upon his roof in silent contemplation of the day's end.
To describe Bill is to speak of a man who embodied passion, who embraced adventure with each breath, and whose selflessness was a beacon unto others. In the words of the esteemed bard John Keats, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever," and so was the life of Bill-a joy that shall endure in the hearts of those he touched.
Let us not mourn his departure, but rather celebrate the legacy of a man who, like Shakespeare's own creations, lived a life writ large upon the stage of the world. His story, a play of many acts, was filled with laughter, love, and the pursuit of that which is good and true. In Bill's memory, let us recall the infinite jest, the shared moments of joy, and the bonds forged in the crucible of his unending generosity.
As we bid farewell to Billy Ray Factor, let us carry forth his memory with the same fervor and kindness that he bestowed upon the world. Though he hath shuffled off this mortal coil, his spirit remains, a guiding star in the firmament, leading us toward the better angels of our nature. Rest well, dear Bill, for your tale is one of beauty, and in the hearts of those who loved you, it shall indeed be a joy forever.