Bill Ratliff, 81
January 6, 1943 – December 3, 2024
Tupelo-Bill Ratliff, age 81, died December 3, 2024, at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, MS. He was a long-time resident of Tupelo, and attended Parkway Baptist Church.
Bill was born in Nettleton, Mississippi, on January 6, 1943, to Trelvy and Leola Montgomery Ratliff. He graduated from Nettleton High School in 1961. He attained a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts from Mississippi State University and a Masters of Education Administration from the University of Mississippi. Bill served his country in the Army National Guard for four years.
Early in his career, he taught and coached at Amory Middle School and Nettleton High School. He was a Drafting and Design instructor at Itawamba Community College for 32 years. He also worked for Rockwell Industries in Tupelo. Bill was a prolific draftsman and designed many homes and businesses for his clients across the state of Mississippi.
Not only was Bill a draftsman, he also was a gifted artist and talented woodcarver. Bill especially enjoyed researching wood carving techniques and hand-carving and painting wooden ducks.
The memorial service celebrating his life will be held in the Sadie Holland Memorial Chapel at Holland Funeral Directors, Tupelo, at 2:00 PM Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Reverend Jesse Huggins of Parkway Baptist Church will officiate; Reverend Cory Hayes and Emily Ann Benedict will provide music. Visitation will be Friday from 12:00-2:00 at Holland Funeral Directors, which is honored to be serving their friends. For those unable to attend, the service may be viewed at hollandfuneraldirectors.com/live-streaming at 2:00 PM Friday and will be archived thereafter.
Bill deeply loved and was loved by his family. He is survived by his wife Ann Arnold, daughter Leigh Charol Ratliff, step-son Chuck Arnold, daughter-in-law Dana Arnold, grandson Blade Arnold, sisters Mauvolene Lovett and Yvonne Burroughs, sister-in-law Twyla Ratliff, nephews Ricky Burroughs and Mark (Angie) Burroughs, and nieces Sharon Simons (Terry), Susan Jolly (Phil), Joy Barnett (John), Bethany Lovett, Erin Heatherly (Ron), Emily Benedict (Luke) and Ellen Ratliff (Nathan), as well as many great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Eugene Ratliff and Roger Ratliff.
Bill had tremendous respect for the work done by St. Jude’s. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude’s in his memory. A donation in his memory to any charitable organization of your choice would also be greatly appreciated. Holland Funeral Directors is honored to be serving their friends
Please follow the funeral home link above for further information, or to send online condolences or memorial gifts.
