William Carey Deacon

The Biblical writer, James, shared this thought. "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him". In the predawn hours of August 15th, the full life journey for William Carey Barker Deacon came to its earthly conclusion as he peacefully slipped the bonds of this life in exchange for the eternal life promised him by the God he loved and served for so many years. Billy's unique life story began on February 12, 1948. His parents, David and Carey Barker Deacon, welcomed their second son into their family. After 1950, the Deacon family moved to Newnan, Georgia where Carey's father, Reverend William Carey Barker, was pastor at First Baptist Church. This association with the historic First Baptist church would come full circle as it became Billy's church during the last part of his life. Billy graduated from Newnan High School in 1966. It was during those high school years that he developed a great interest in speech and drama under the wise guidance of Mrs. Marjorie Hatchett. Her family had owned Dunaway Gardens which was a training ground for the Sewell Production Company and the Patchwork Theater. Billy's mother helped spark his interest in the stage and the entertainment world. It would be the catalyst for a lifelong fascination with the business of making movies. Billy did not jump headlong into the world of making movies after completing his education. True to his inherent sense of a servant spirit, he spent 15 years in Macon, Georgia as a paramedic. The invaluable lessons he learned during those years would also come to play a significant part in his career in his later years. Billy was fascinated by the world of filmmakers. His career in that industry began in his association with the Local 479 Union in 1996 in the craft service department. In September 2012, he began working as a steward of Local 479. His duties included scouting shooting locations and helping to pull together all the nuts and bolts to ensure that the final product would be created in as efficient a manner as possible. He worked on "The Lonesome Dove" series as well as "The Walking Dead." Other projects would have him scouring the country for possible shooting locations and assisting on Tyler Perry projects. As much as Billy loved his vocation, there was another dimension to his life that was life-altering for him and enabled him to help countless other people in the throes of addiction to understand that there is always hope. Billy fought the odds to be relieved of the grasp that addiction had placed on his life, creating the chaos that would destroy his home and fracture his relationships with his family. When he did hit rock bottom, Billy never looked back. Instead, he reaped the benefits of good counselors and a magnificent peer group, and he came to have a staunch belief that the God he loved would deliver him and make his life have meaning again. He would spend, literally, the rest of his life making himself available to anyone who was willing to listen. Where there was no hope, he helped them realize that as long as there is breath, there is hope. Where there was no faith, he helped them realize that there was a God in heaven who loved them more than anybody in this world could possibly love them. Billy was quick to assure his mentees that God loved them and he loved them, as well, but nobody could outlove the God that created them both. In the latter part of his life, Billy began to experience some significant health problems. These were serious enough that they would shadow his life story for the rest of his life. An overriding prayer concern for Billy (and he was a man who deeply believed in prayer) was the broken relationship that his problems had created with his two sons. He would share this with those close to him and ask that they would bond with him in prayer that those relationships might be restored before he reached the end of his life. To make a long story short, his prayers were answered. To be able to have a renewed relationship with his sons and their families was more than he could have ever thought possible. The last few weeks of Billy's life were very difficult. The doctors were cautious in their prognosis of his condition, but Billy's years as a medic made him realize his time was limited. He was very philosophical in assessing this time in his life. He talked about the good times in a career that was like a fantasy world very often, the bad times where the years when he was in the hold of addiction that seemed insurmountable, but the worst of the worst could not hold a candle to the incredible joy of recovery and his absolute joy in helping others discover their own way out of the abyss that engulfed them. He considered himself a lifelong learner. The more he helped others, the more he understood his own recovery. Billy's life journey came to an end in the early morning hours of August 15th. He left this world peacefully. One moment, he took a breath, and the next moment, he crossed over into eternity. It was exactly the end he had prayed for. Billy was preceded in death by his parents, David Duffield and Carey Barker Deacon. He lost his best friend ever when his brother Duffy joined his wife Rita who had preceded him in heaven. Billy's life was blessed by the unwavering love of his wife Judy Martin Deacon. She was his tireless caregiver, staunch advocate, and enthusiastic cheerleader. Every problem had a solution, and she took that as her challenge. No one could have done more than she did. Billy's love for his sons was boundless and resolute. The new relationship he had with them brought his life full circle. He gave honor and praise to the God who made it possible. William Carey Deacon Davis is the older of the two. His wife is Kai. Their daughter is Kiyah Davis ( and Gaven), and their son is Liam Campbell. The younger son is Joshua Kyle Deacon Davis. His wife is Sarah. Their children are Cody Davis and Bella Davis. Billy embraced his wife Judy's family as his own. Her sons are Chris Martin (and husband Jamie Shropshire) and Bryan Martin. Bryan's children are Kayla Martin, Victoria Martin, and Alex Martin. The mother of Bryan's children is Stephannie Martin. Duffy's family remained a major part of Billy's life. Duffy's children are Kelley Hight (and Kyle Bowen); Carey Deacon and her children, Catherine Teeter and Caroline Teeter; Duffy Deacon III (and Jennifer) and their children Brian and Kimberly; Natalie Deacon and her daughter, Anna Alexander. There is an innumerable extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles, or any other relationship one might manufacture! The life of this good man will be recalled with great love, a little laughter, and absolutely no regrets because every goal in his life, he saw to the finish. That is one thing that made his life so unique. There will be a visitation on Tuesday, August 19th from 6 - 8 PM at McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory, 38 Jackson St., Newnan. Stories will be told, some true, some exaggerated. There will be much laughing and back slapping because that would just be Billy. No golf stories will be told because most have no truth anyway. The service to honor our friend will be on Wednesday, August 20th at 2:00 PM in the chapel of McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory. The service will be led by Billy's friend and pastor, Reverend Lee Chitwood. Most everything he says may be truthful. We will sing songs and pray, and then we will leave for the interment at Historic Oak Hill Cemetery. Grieve not for our faithful and robust friend. "It is well with his soul." Those were some of his last words. We must believe it as strongly as he did. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory, 770-253-4580.