William Thomas "Bill" Ballard

William Thomas "Bill" Ballard, 99 yrs old, of Jacksonville, Florida died in hospice care on July 30, 2025.
Bill was born in Dadeville, Alabama on March 2, 1926, to William and Laura Ballard. He joined the United States Navy on May 26, 1943, and served aboard the USS Sullivans in the pacific during World War II. He continued his service through the Korean and Vietnam conflicts before retiring in 1968. He then added to his federal service working for the United States Postal Service until his final retirement in 1985. He married his wife, Eunice Julene Ballard on February 24, 1952, and celebrated almost 66 years of marriage before her passing in 2018.
Bill was a proud veteran and a faithful Christian where he was a member of First Baptist Church of downtown Jacksonville for almost 40 years. He was an avid reader and gardener. He could often be found in his workshop or in the kitchen. He was well known for his cornbread and peanut brittle. He loved history and genealogy but more than anything else, he loved his family.
He worked tirelessly to ensure his family was cared for and did all he could to encourage the family to remain close. Bill lived a good long life and often gave thanks to God for keeping him around for so long and in as good as shape as he was. He was endlessly grateful and always quick with a joke. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
He is preceded in death by his brother, George Marcus Ballard and wife, Eunice Julene Ballard. He is survived by his only son, Zane Marcus Ballard (Diane), his grandchildren Monique Oxiner (Dustin), Natasha Ballard (Gabriel) and Joshua Ballard (Mandy) and his great grandchildren, Lia Hardy, Andrew Bevis, Sean Bevis, Mason Bevis and Isadore Gourneau.
To honor Bill services will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Visitation will be held from 10:00AM – 11:00AM at Jacksonville Memory Gardens. Then reconvene for a graveside service at 02:30PM at Jacksonville National Cemetery, procession will begin in Lane Two.