Billie Alice Craig Ryland

1929 - 2016

Billie Alice Craig Ryland

Funeral services celebrating the life of Billie Alice Craig Ryland will be held Wednesday, June 22, 2016 in the Bolton Chapel of Emmanuel Baptist Church at 11:30 a.m. with Reverend Susan Cauley officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Memorial Park under the direction of Hixson Brothers, Pineville.

The family requests that visitation be observed at the funeral home on Tuesday, June 21, 2016, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and resume at the church on Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. until the time of service.

Billie Alice Craig Ryland, 86, of Pineville, passed from this life on Sunday, June 19, 2016 at her residence.

Mrs. Ryland was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend. She was deeply loved and will be dearly missed, but will remain in the hearts of those who loved her.

Mrs. Ryland was born on 2nd Street in Alexandria, attended Central Grammar School and graduated from Bolton High School. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Louisiana College where she met the love of her life, Evert Ryland. She worked at the Department of Public Welfare for many years. She also served for 14 years as Area Director of the American Heart Association/Louisiana for the nine Central Louisiana parishes.

Mrs. Ryland was a faithful member of East Pineville Baptist Church for many years before rejoining her childhood church, Emmanuel Baptist, where she served her Lord in many ways. She was a vivacious, natural leader and served as a mentor for many. She was a cheerful giver of her time, talent and treasures. Among her many leadership roles were being the director of VBS and WMU and teaching Sunday School; she also chaired various church committees. She was President of the Alexandria Garden Club and was inducted into the club's honorary society, the Circle of Roses.

Mrs. Ryland was very quick-witted and had a great sense of humor even until the end. She enjoyed her morning cup of coffee while gazing out at the lake in front of her house. She leaves a legacy that will live on in those that she loved and touched.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Evert Ryland, Jr. and her parents, William and Alice Stilley Craig.

Those left to cherish her memory are her children: Evert Kendall Ryland (Katharine Geary), Jane Ryland Bordelon (Richard), Fifi Ryland Rose (Mark), Fern Ryland Walker (Tim), E. Hope Ryland Hennessey (John). Also surviving her are Joanne Hamby, who she loved like a daughter, and her grandchildren: Ruth Ryland Subramanian, Esther Ryland Keul, Daniel Ryland, John Ryland, Laura Bordelon Nelson, Jaclyn Bordelon Curtis, Emily Rose, Evan Rose, William Rose, Timothy Walker, Jr., William Walker, J. P. Hennessey, Jr., Emma Hennessey, Ryland Hennessey, Cole Hennessey, Savannah Rose Hennessey; and her great-grandchildren: Connor Nelson, Nolan Nelson, Jack Keul, Alice Keul, Scout Ryland, and two on the way! She is survived by one brother, Wayne Oliver Craig, and a host of other family members and friends. The family would like to thank her dedicated caregivers, especially Gail Danzy.

The family has designated for memorial contributions: Emmanuel Baptist Church, 430 Jackson Street, Alexandria, LA 71301, or The American Heart Association, https://donatenow.heart.org.

Serving as pall bearers will be Daniel Ryland, Emily Rose, Evan Rose, William Rose, William Walker, J.P. Hennessey, Jr., Ryland Hennessey, and Cole Hennessey. Honorary pall bearers are Thomas Downs, Ruth Subramanian, Esther Keul, Laura Nelson, Jaclyn Curtis, John Ryland, Timothy Walker, Jr., Emma Hennessey, and Savannah Hennessey.

To extend online condolences to the Ryland family, please visit us at www.hixsonbrothers.com.