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Funeral: 11 a.m. Monday, March 21, 2016 at Frank & Bright Funeral Home
Visitation: 4-7 p.m. Sunday, March 20, 2016 at Frank & Bright Funeral Home
Interment: Elmwood Cemetery
Dave Billingsley, age 67 – a husband, a father of two, a mentor to many and a friend to all – passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. He grew up and lived in Flora, Illinois for most of his life. He deeply loved life, his family and his community with all his heart. He always had an optimistic view and strived to put a smile on the face of everyone he met. He was always there for anyone in need and was unselfishly willing to offer any assistance he could provide.
Dave was born on February 1, 1949 and was the first of two children to Ed and Molly Billingsley. After graduating from Flora High School in 1967 he went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a Master’s Degree from the Illinois State University – Normal. He had a life-long passion for learning and was a teacher at heart. He loved sharing his knowledge and skill with others to help enrich their lives. He served as a Reservist in the National Guard and loved his Country. He and his wife Melissa were long time owners and managers of the Flora Dairy Queen. His employees were all so very special to him. He always had a good time being with them and the customers.
Throughout his life he had a passion for tennis, photography and music – all of which he shared with the Flora community through his involvement in community plays and coaching the high school tennis teams. He was a life-long member of the Frog Island Tennis Club and proudly carried the member name of Rat-Back-McClure.
Dave was most at peace when he had a camera in his hand and was out capturing images. It didn’t much matter where he was, he always could find a subject of beauty or interest to take a picture of. Most of all, Dave loved his soul-mate and wife Melissa Beert with whom he spent the happiest years of his life. He also loved his two sons and grandchildren – with whom he spent countless hours playing with and introducing them to his life-long passions.
Dave is survived by his wife, Melissa Beert; son Jonathon (Jesteen); grandchildren Reagan, Ava, Rylan, Zaiden, Azaira; parents Ed and Molly Billingsley; aunt Trudy Neubold; brother Rick (Cathy) Billingsley of Mesquite Nevada; nephews Tristan Billingsley of Columbia, Missouri and Chynna (Josiah) Billingsley LoRusso of St Louis, Missouri. He was preceded in death by his youngest son Anthony (Tony) Billingsley.
A funeral service for David Billingsley will be 11 a.m. Monday, March 21, 2016, at Frank & Bright Funeral Home in Flora. Interment will follow in Elmwood Cemetery. Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Sunday, March 20, 2016, at Frank & Bright Funeral Home.
The family would like to thank the Flora and surrounding communities for their overwhelming outpouring of support and love during this emotional and tragic time. In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to Frog Island Tennis in order to help continue Dave’s work with the community tennis activities.
Jul 21, 1931 - Nov 18, 2024
Nov 15, 1940 - Nov 9, 2024
Sep 5, 1961 - Oct 31, 2024
Nov 14, 1941 - Oct 30, 2024
Nov 28, 1936 - Oct 29, 2024
Thoughts and prayers for you all. David was a wonderful man so giving to our community. He will be missed by all who knew him.
God be with you. My condolences are with you .
Just a great guy! My condolences to the family. He will be sadly missed.
Many, many blessings prayed for all of you as you mourn the loss of a wonderful husband, father, son, nephew, and all around good man. May he rest in peace.
Melissa, Jonathon and all Dave was such a good man. He will always be remembered as the DQ man and he was a inspiration to kids from many years ago and the community. Sadly he will be missed
Condolences to the Billingsley Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all during your loss of David. David was a classmate 1967 Flora High School.
Dave will certainly be missed! He was always a joy to work with and talk to. If you had a problem or question he would try to help. I will miss his great laugh, joy of life, and his photos (he was always so proud of!). DQ won't be the same without seeing your face there. Gone but not forgotten!
We are so sorry you lost Dave. He was a fantastic man and will be greatly missed. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
We are very sorry to hear about your loss. Please accept our condolences. Prayers for all the family. RIP: David
I am still left breathless of losing such a pillar to our community. This man and his wife have touched so many lives, not to mention that Flora has the best DQ anywhere in the U.S. He will be missed by so many. It goes to show that people that do things from the heart and expect nothing back are remembered and mourned forever. RIP David........
Each spring David and Melissa come to our home to enjoy the` beautiful field of Jason's daffodils, and return several times during the blooming season with their cameras, capturing the daffodils at different stages of flowering. Just this week Jason received an e-mail from David telling him how much he loved photographing the flowers, and that this was a highlight to him every spring. He was planning on coming out next week for his "first" photography session. When Jason was young, Molly and Trudy invited him to their home to see all the daffodils planted on the hillside. That was so much fun for him, and he has never forgotten that experience. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this tragedy, and we hope that the memories you have gathered in your lifetime with David will never be forgotten. Love and Blessings
So sorry for your loss, my thought are with his Family and Friends!
Our hearts are saddened upon hearing of Dave's unexpected passing. He was a good and caring man. Each member of his family is in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. May God wrap His loving arms around them ❤️ RIP David
Sending our deepest sympathy and heartfelt thoughts to David's family. May the comfort of the Flora community and family be your strength now and in the days ahead. Rest in peace David.....a 1967 classmate.
So sorry to hear of your loss. He will be missed by so many in the community. Prayers for all of the family........
Dave loved: life, his family, music, photography, acting, tennis, jokes. He especially loved people. What a legacy. You are already missed, my Friend.
So very, very sorry for your loss. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Our grandson, Blake certainly enjoyed David at the tennis courts.
Sorry for your loss, my thoughts and prayers for everybody.
My deepest sympathy to David's family! Though I left the community in 1967, over the decades it was easy to follow David and Melissa's many contributions to the community. He was always a nice guy! He will be missed but not forgotten. Rest in peace David. A fellow FTHS '67 graduate.
For David's family, I was so sorry to hear of your loss. David was a wonderful person and truly a gift to all who were lucky enough to know him. It is hard to think of Flora without him. I have a signed photograph that he gave me of my dad's dock at sunrise. I will always treasure it. May God give you peace. Rita
So sorry for your loss! David will be missed by all. He always had a smile for every one!!
We will miss seeing Dave at the DQ drive thru and he will be greatly missed by many past and present tennis players. I know our son Zach will miss playing a game of tennis with him when he comes home for a visit. He gave so much to our community. Thinking of the family.
We are so sorry for your loss. The whole family are in our prayers and thoughts. Where would hundreds of people be without him? God took another wonderful man.
So very sad.....such a fine young man......my sympathies & condolences to Melissa, Jon & family, Ed & Molly & Trudy.....prayers for the whole family.
RIP sending prayers n sympathy
My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Always enjoyed seeing David at the DQ and seeing him out in the countryside enjoying nature and his passion for photography. Especially memorable are the ones he took in our sunflower fields several years ago. Will be missed by all. A great loss to the community.
Very saddened to learn of this unexpected turn of events for David's family. This passing is way before his time and he will be missed by all his friends in the Robert and Esther Gatwoods families.
What can I say? David was a special individual who really loved this community and cared for people. He was always generous and helpful to so many organizations and individuals. He will be missed by the entire community and surrounding area. I pray that God will grant you comfort and strength as you face the days and months ahead. With heartfelt sympathy for the entire family and the staff at DQ.
I never saw Dave without a smile. What a great individual that will be missed by all who had met him.
Our heartfelt condolences to David's family. I, Dianna, graduated with David in the class of 1967. When David comes to mind, I always smile because he was one of the kindest, most sincere guys I ever had the pleasure of knowing. May God Bless his family!!
Sorry for your loss. David never met a stranger and will be missed by all.
Prayers for the family, so sorry for your loss!
Dave was such a good person. His smiles and positive personality were contagious. My heart goes out to his family for such a tremendous loss. Eddie, Molly, and Jonathon, you are all in my thoughts and prayers.
So very sorry to hear about David. I always visited the DQ and loved to see David and see his wonderful warm smile. He will be missed!
So sorry for your loss. He was a great man. Sending prayers for the family.
I am saddened to learn of your loss. Please know you are all in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
Melissa, So sorry for your loss. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
David and I first became acquainted on the tennis courts about 2005. I agree with all the wonderful comments about him. Good memories of David will live on for many years. May his soul rest in peace.
It saddens me to hear of another '67 FTHS classmate gone too soon. My sympathy to his family and may you find strength at this difficult time.
Sympathies to the family. He will be greatly missed!
My heart goes out to all of you - so sad. God Bless and comfort you all.
So sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers to the family. Love to Melissa , Molly and Eddie. Your stained glass family loves you.
Molly, Eddy and Trudy and family. My sincere condolences on David's passing. As you know, we were best childhood friends when we both lived on 4th Street in the 1950s. We played cowboys and Indians, ate great cookies that Molly made, and were in Cub Scouts together where my Mother, Cordell, was the den mother. I think it was the summer of 1959 when David and I started playing tennis, along with Greg Etchison and Robert Taylor. We rode our bikes to the courts daily. Soon we were under the guidance of Cecil Powless and learned proper strokes. About 1961 Cordell took the four of us to St. Louis to watch the pros play. That totally inspired us and we would play and practice every day of the summer. The four of us would end up playing for in high school for coach Dick Connley and winning district tournaments and going to state championships. Upon turning 16 in 1965 we started to drive and David and I had the best summer two young guys could ever have. We cruised the Flora main drag in your white 1965 Chevy Impala convertible, double dated two recently graduated pretty senior girls and played lots of tennis, including a tournament that we drove to in Evansville. There we stayed with a nice tennis family who purchased concert tickets for us to see Tom Jones, The Animals and The Byrds. I don't remember if we won or lost at tennis, but we had a great time. I also remember that one night that summer, we went out to Trago Lake for a swim. The moon was full and that water was beautiful. For some reason that is lost on me now, we foolishly decided to swim across the lake. Before we got to the other side we saw some snakes near us by in the water. We panicked and started to swim like crazy. Out of breath and exhausted we made it to the other side and then agreed that we weren't that smart to do what we had just done. After high school, we lost touch as we went to different universities and there was no internet for staying connected. I subsequently moved out of Illinois to Canada, then Mexico and now live in Florida. As you can see I have lots of memories of David during our early years in Flora. I believe, and I think David would agree, that we were both blessed to be raised by wonderful, caring parents and that we were very fortunate to have lived in an idyllic town like Flora. David, thank you for your friendship and for all the fun we shared so many years ago. Rest in Peace.
David was a great doubles partner in High School. RIP my friend.
We are so sorry for your loss. Our family is praying for comfort and strength for your family during this time of grieving. Chynna Billingsley LoRusso loved her Uncle David dearly-we met him during the wedding and will never forget him.
So very sad to hear of Dave's passing. My condolences and prayers to all of his family What an awesome guy I knew him to be...... Classmate 1967.
Saddened by the loss to the. Wonderful family David. Never did i see him without his God filled. 😃 one that would light up the minute u spoke. Sorry to each of the family.hugs David will.. Be so very missed by all that knew him..God bless ..
Saddened by the loss to the. Wonderful family David. Never did i see him without his God filled. 😃 one that would light up the minute u spoke. Sorry to each of the family.hugs David will.. Be so very missed by all that knew him..God bless ..
So sorry to hear about Dave. He was a true gentleman in every way. He will be greatly missed by our community.
So sorry to learn of David's passing. He always went out of his way to say hello to me or share a quick story at our business meetings. Really an inspiration to me. Rest in peace.
SO SORRY! Love you all!
My deepest sympathy to the whole Billingsley family. Although I haven't seen you for some years, I have very special memories of my "brother" David from our high school and college years and often think of him, Mr. & Mrs. Billingsley, Aunt Trudy, brother Rick, Melissa, and son Jonathan. These happy memories have stood the test of time, and I trust you will find some comfort in knowing that David touched many lives.
We have known the Billingsley family for almost 45 years. The community will always remember and have a special place in their hearts for David. May God comfort the family and the extended family!
Prayers to all the family!! He was a awesome person to every!! Gone to soon!!
Everyone at Flora Public Library would like to express their deepest sympathy to Melissa, and all loved ones, on the passing of David. He will be missed very much. We will keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers. God bless you all.
I can't even begin to believe what has happened. Dave was such a good man. My favorite boss I've ever had. He will be missed so much
Such a huge heart, you will be greatly missed.
Working for David at RAX has always been special to me. It was never just a job. You became a member of their family. Thank you Eddie, Molly, Melissa, Jonathon and Trudy for all of my wonderful memories. Sorry for your loss.
David was a blessing to his wonderful family and to the community. Growing up in Flora, it was always special to me when our families got together. I remember thinking how David was the role model big brother. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
David was our very friendly next door neighbor, with a great sense of humor and would tell interesting stories when we talked with him. He will be missed!! Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and other friends.
RIP David. Some of my best childhood memories were on the tennis courts in Flora with you and our friends.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Dave was such a blessing to me and my family. I am forever grateful for everything that he did for my son when he was the miracle treat child. I pray for comfort during this difficult time for you. He will be greatly missed by many in our community.
We are going to miss seeing Dave. He was one of kind as a person, owner and manager of the Dairy Queen he always cared about the people he had working for him and his community. What a world it would be if all employers cared the same as he did. We pray that when Dave's family's hearts are hurting and feeling empty,they can fill their hearts with all the happy memories of Dave to help ease their pain. Love follows us no matter how far.
Sending love and condolences to Molly, Eddie, Trudi, Ricky and families. I will always remember Dave's warm smile, handsome good looks, tennis racket in hand, and Beatles albums... There was always so much love abound in your family. Pray that love will sustain you all. Love, Janna
Sending condolences to Melissa & family. So sorry to hear this. He was a good man. In my thoughts & prayers . With sincere sympathy , Allen Wooters, your bread man.
We are sending our deepest sympathy and thoughts to David's family. We are saddened upon hearing of Dave's unexpected passing. He set a very fine example for the youth and adult tennis players both on and off the court. We are sending a gift in his memory to Frog Island Tennis Club. We have many very fond memories of Dave during the past many years.
We truly feel like we only began to know David and were hoping to do more things with him and his wife during the warmer weather, this year. When we look out our bedroom window to the west, we see the beautiful house where he used to live and our hearts ache with unexpected loss and our memories are touched with the few wonderful times we got to talk with him. He told us stories of why the fence was built between our houses and his experiences traveling to an Asian country. Last year he asked if he could take pictures with his family in front of our flowering dogwood and came running over once to find out if we had electricity one night. His brief visits were always lively and we always hoped for more. RIP David, you will be missed!!
I was and am saddened by the loss of David. I'm praying for you and your family.
Dave you were truly an Angel in this community and you will be missed by many, Melissa you and the family are in our thoughts and prayers God bless and keep you.
He was my boss at the Flora Dq where I worked a short time. He was fun, loving man. Who really care about his workers and treated everyone like family.
My sincere condolences to the family of My sincere condolences to the family of David Billingsley, a loving and considerate person to all, he will be so missed, by the family and whole community, my prayers are with you all during this time.
I have such fond memories of David and the fun times we had working at the DQ. Molly, Eddie, Trudy and Rick - my thoughts are with you during this sad time.
So sorry to hear about David. For years David and Melissa would drive to St Louis for their piano lessons with me. They were both excellent students and musicians, as well as really smart and fun. I always looked forward to their lessons. I have a couple of pictures that David took and will always cherish them. My feelings go out to Melissa as I know how much she will miss David.
Frank & Bright Funeral Home
and Cremation Services
500 North Main Street
Flora, Illinois 62839
Phone : (618) 662-2141
Fax: (618) 662-4600
Email: [email protected]
