William "Bill" Ray Barrett

William “Bill” Ray Barrett, born May 17, 1941, passed from this earth on February 17, 2022 surrounded by loved ones sending him home to a long-awaited family reunion with his daughter; Deanne Barrett, his brother Richard Barrett, and his parents, Lorna “Tudy” and Mortimer Kahn. If you were ever around Bill for a moment, you would know he is a man of little words however recognize his strength and fighting spirit. He showed love to his family and friends by acts of service and took pride in their accomplishments. He was called Bill by Margarete “Peggy”, his loving wife of almost 57 years. She attests that he was a hard worker, great provider, father, and the backbone to their relationship and family. Bill’s early years were spent in Canton and Asheville, North Carolina, he went on to attend Oakridge military school and the University of Tennessee. Bill enjoyed being outdoors and being active by fishing, golfing, and gardening. In the early 60’s, Bill lived in Manhattan Beach, California where he met Peggy while they were both working at Econolite. The two were married on March 13, 1965 and began a lifelong journey of building things together. They settled in Shreveport, Louisiana where they loved entertaining and hosting parties at their home, dancing, and working. They started Signal Engineering Company [SECO South], in 1979, where Bill still went into the office every morning after his routine sausage and biscuit. Peggy supported Bill throughout all his endeavors while he was out on the road working and doing. Together, they had two beautiful children, the late Deanne Michele and Wendy Renee Barrett (partner Kayla). Wendy, the youngest daughter, will always appreciate the acceptance and encouragement from her father to become the person she is today. She recently recalls getting the honor to fly him for the first time in order to be with his brother in the days leading up to Richard’s final moments and the pride he expressed for her as a pilot. Bill cherished his lifelong friends and always instilled in his girls the need to surround themselves with a strong community of people with like minded interests. They were members of the Dusty Wheels motorcycle club, loved caravaning in their motorhome across the country, traveling and cruising around the world. Bill was given three grandkids by Deanne; Megan Lambright, Lyndi Meador (husband Cody), and RJ Drummond (wife Brittany), and 4 great grandchildren. The family would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Desai and the nursing staff at Willis Knighton North Center for their care and compassion. He fought a hard and difficult battle but in the end, he was truly a victor. There will be no funeral services at this time and the family requests privacy to grieve. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to one of the following St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Holy Angels, and/or Wounded Warriors.