Billy Ray Young Jr.

Our favorite “beer garden” is desolate today with the passing of Billy Ray Young, Jr.  He was born in Killeen, Texas, on August 28, 1961, and died in Temple, Texas, in the early morning hours of May 23, 2025.   Billy was a proud lifelong resident of Killeen, Texas, and spent most of his years residing in the same neighborhood.   A quiet old soul, Billy enjoyed, more than anything, spending time with his family and close friends. Billy was an ordinary man who made an extraordinary impact on the lives of those he loved. He was living proof that greatness isn’t measured by fame and fortune but by earned responsibilities. For him, those responsibilities began and ended with his family. He was married to the same woman for over thirty-five years, with whom raising their children and caring for their grandsons were life’s highest callings.   Billy was in the first graduating class of C. E. Ellison High School in 1979, and all three of his children would go on to graduate from there as well.

Billy was the loyal and devoted son of Lillian “Irene” and Billy Ray Young, Sr. and brother of Pam.   He grew up working in his father’s car dealership, Billy Young Lincoln Mercury, and spent his entire career working in the car business.  He started in the parts department at age 14 and ended up being part owner of a dealership that had grown and expanded to multiple brands and locations.  Through that 40-year journey, he made so many friends that it was rare that he could go out without running into a customer or friend.  “You sold me my first car” was often heard.  In 2009, until his retirement, he worked at other dealerships with his close friend, Mitch Connell.  Vehicles were a big component of the Young life, with Billy’s first car being a blue Good Times van that spent more time being washed and polished than on the road.   Pam shared one of her favorite memories of him involving a bumpy ride on the back of Billy’s first motorcycle and ending with a wicked cackle when Pam ended up on her backside in the dirt.  When Billy and Tracie’s firstborn child, Megan, arrived, she was detoured to the car dealership on the way to her first doctor’s check-up at only five days old so Billy could show her off (or start teaching her the ropes). 

Billy worshipped his children. Whether it was babysitting Megan’s sons or going to more than 12 years of Ellison High School football games, watching Megan and the Emeralds dance, or Tanner and Bradley keeping the band in sync with their drumming, he was always there.  He didn’t say much, but they all knew they were loved.  Billy gave his children the biggest gift a man can give—how to be a parent by demonstrating by action that time and support are the keys.   It was a testament to Billy and Tracie that it was normal for the children to be home on weekends, even after college and marriage.  Unbeknownst to them, we called it the troupe of Youngs because if you saw one of them out and about in central Texas, you saw the whole group—now three generations strong.   After the children graduated from college and moved away, night-owl Billy was often on the phone with them late into the night, catching up on the day’s activities. 

Younger Billy loved to travel, and water and snow skiing were some of his favorite pastimes. Ski trips were usually accompanied by his best friend, Steve, who fondly remembers a trip to Europe which included huge beer steins and the twinkle in Billy’s eyes when the waitress brought the steins.  Time with Billy was precious, and his family and friends benefitted from his extraordinary gift of making people feel appreciated and welcomed into their home.  Nothing was better than going to the Young’s to watch Cowboy football with Billy and commiserating over another disappointing season.   None felt more warm and fuzzy inside than Cassie, his best dog, and Zoe and countless other dog friends before them, who spent all their time begging for bites of his dinner or balls to be thrown with Billy being the star pitcher.  

Billy loved Tracie.  The love of his life, Tracie adored him and couldn’t wait to get home every day to see him. After his retirement, Tracie joked that she never had a moment to herself.  He loved Tracie’s cooking, and Billy became a wonderful grill-master.  People would stop by just to see what wonderful creation he had dreamed up on his smoker.  The sparkle in his eyes and his slow smile we longed to see when somebody told him, “This may be the best brisket I’ve ever had.”    That special patio with the grand smoker is missing him today, but not more than we are.  Turn up the music, Billy, and play some classic rock-n-roll, George Strait, Alan Jackson, or Brooks and Dunn, and hand us another cold beer, please. 

Billy is survived by his wife, Tracie; daughter, Megan, and her husband, Michael; sons, Tanner and Bradley; grandsons, Owen and Levi; sister, Pam, and her husband, Bert; father-in-law, Jim; Uncle Drew and Aunt Jennie; and best dogs, Cassie and Zoe. He is also survived by niece, Callee, and her husband; nephew, Chance, and his family; and nephew, Justin, as well as numerous cousins and lifelong friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Billy Ray Young Sr. and Lillian Young; grandparents; and numerous aunts and uncles.

The Young family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple, particularly the surgical trauma ICU nurses,  Kelly and Sam,  as well as Dr. James McCormack and the STC 4 team.  We are also incredibly grateful for the unwavering support we received from our family and friends throughout this challenging time.  Donna Connell’s meticulous coordination of arrangements and Dr. Lisa Santiso’s heartfelt writing of the obituary have truly made this difficult journey more bearable.

A Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 11:00 to 1:00 pm with a light lunch, at Central Texas Home Builders Association in Harker Heights..  Inurnment will follow at Live Oak Cemetery, Youngsport, TX at 2:30 pm.