06/11/2026
It is with hearts both broken and yet anchored in the hope of Christ that we announce that Billy Herbert Blair, 74, and Virginia Carol Barnett Blair, 71, of Mendenhall, Mississippi, entered into the presence of their Lord together on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at their home. Known to those who loved them as Mom and Dad, Uncle Billy and Aunt Carol, and most tenderly as Mimi and PopPop. They walked through this life side by side for nearly fifty-three years, and they entered eternity the same way: together, and home with the Lord they loved and served.
Billy was born June 1, 1952, in Magee, MS, and Carol was born January 18, 1955, in Jackson, MS. The Lord, in His kindness, wrote their love story early. Raised in the Pinola and Oak Grove communities, they grew up together in church and school, and somewhere along the way through the Pinola schools, friendship turned to love. On July 28, 1973, they were married at Oak Grove Baptist Church and began married life in their home on the very ground where their family home now stands. They raised their two children, Misty and DeJay, in a home built in Christ.
Billy and Carol were known and loved all across Simpson County, most of all through Magee Tire and Service, the business they founded and ran together; Billy in the shop working on every vehicle that came through the doors, and Carol keeping the books and Billy in line. But to them, the shop was never just a business; it was a ministry. They used it as an outlet to serve the Lord and to care for every person who walked in, treating each customer with kindness, honesty, and the love of Christ.
They were devoted members of Newhebron Baptist Church, where Billy served on the security team and frequently led Sunday school lessons, and Carol faithfully served as pianist for thirty years. Carol was a remarkably gifted pianist. Music flowed out of her as naturally as kindness, and Sunday after Sunday, the Lord used her hands at the piano to lead His people in worship. It was a gift she never kept for herself; she gave it back to God every time she played.
Billy was a man whose hands were rarely still. He raised cattle from the time he was a boy and could fix anything put in front of him. He found great joy in restoring old tractors to brand new, and he loved his 1972 Ford Mustang antique car. His gifts and talents are remembered fondly by his grandchildren, who still smile when they think of the simple pleasures he loved: a cold Mello Yello, strawberry Stage Planks, a warm slice of his famous chocolate pound cake, or a pack of nabs. Billy was also a gifted woodworker, able to take a raw, ordinary piece of wood and shape it into something beautiful and purposeful. The treasures he made were not for profit, but purely for the love of it, often giving them away and praying over the hands that would receive them. In many ways, his woodworking was a picture of his faith: he knew firsthand that the Lord takes what is raw and unfinished and, with patient, loving hands, makes it into something good.
Many of Carol’s greatest memories were made around her kitchen table. Some of her famous dishes included her homemade chicken and dumplings, biscuits, sausage balls, and chicken salad. All fed bodies and souls alike. Some of her grandchildren's most treasured memories are of standing beside her in the kitchen, rolling out dumplings, and baking together.
Together, Billy and Carol loved the quiet, faithful rhythms of a life well lived: tending to their garden year after year, working puzzles side by side, reading their Bibles, and caring for their beloved 20 year old blind horse, Rusty. Above all, they loved their family dearly. They showed up for everything- every game, every recital, every milestone, every accomplishment, every ordinary day, and they were so proud of the family God gave them.
Their faith was not something they kept for Sundays. The fruit of the Spirit was evident in everything they did. They were humble, giving, servant-hearted people who never expected anything from anyone and humbly gave with a servant’s heart. Their lives were lived in the pattern of the Savior who came not to be served, but to serve.
Billy was preceded in death by his parents, Will L. and Lillian Purser Blair. Carol was preceded in death by her parents P.B. and Virginia Barnett, and by her brother, Perry Barnett.
They are survived by their daughter, Misty Hanna (Joe); their son, DeJay Blair (Megan); their beloved grandchildren, Kennedy Rogers (Tucker), Ralea Hanna, Khloe Blair, and Tatum Blair; Billy's sister, Ann Blair; Carol's brother, Paul Barnett (Jeanene), Sister-in-law, Glenda Barnett, Carol’s Aunt, Virginia Langford; other family members, Grecian Ates (Brandon); Nora Goodson, Gordon Langford (Leila), Michael Langford (Lynn), and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and treasured friends.
Visitation will be held Friday, June 12, 2026, from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. at Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Magee. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Newhebron Baptist Church, with doors opening at 9:30 a.m. No visitation will be held on Saturday. Services will be officiated by Bro. Andy Fullington and Bro. Mike Grenn, and a Masonic service will be held in Billy's honor by Westville Masonic Lodge. Burial will follow at Stonewall Baptist Church Cemetery, where Billy and Carol will be laid to rest side by side on a hill overlooking the home they loved so dearly.
Pallbearers will be Gordon Langford, Michael Langford, Ashley Grubbs, Glenn Rainey, Zach Mayhugh, and Blaine Barnett.
Honorary pallbearers will be Ray Foster, Doris Tullos, Elizabeth Rayborn, Dee Wiggs, Brandon Ates, George Dixon, Becky Yarborough, Robert Earl McGehee, Neil Blair, Brady Barnett, Presley Barnett, Chris Rainey, Aiden Ates, and Ray Purser.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to either the Newhebron Baptist Church Building fund or the Stonewall Cemetery fund.
The family would like to invite anyone who has a special memory, story, or tribute to share it by email with DeJay and Misty at [email protected] and [email protected].
If you knew Billy and Carol, you knew Jesus was real to them. Their deepest desire in life and now in death would be for every person reading these words to know the Savior they loved. The family does not grieve as those without hope, for they know exactly where Billy and Carol are, and because of Christ, this goodbye is only "see you later."
"Well done, good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Matthew 25:21
