Mr. William Arthur "Billy" Tye

William Arthur (Billy) Tye died on Sunday July 21, 2024. He was born in Americus, Georgia On September 14, 1945 to Warren Douglas and Helen Powell Tye. He was preceded in death by his brother, Warren Douglas, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Kaye Ellen Hathaway, who was his best friend for 56 years. He is also survived by his son, Brian Jeffrey Tye, Brian‘s wife, Evie, and their daughter Lilly, and his daughter, Melanie Tye Lipscomb, her husband, Matt, and their four children, Mary Hathaway Busby, (husband, John), Annie, Robert, and Ivan. In addition, Billy was thrilled to welcome John Caleb Busby, “Cal”, a great -grandson this past December. Growing up in Americus, Billy enjoyed small town living. Hunting and fishing were always high on his list of favorites. At Americus High School, he was by far the best dancer, and he also earned the accolade of “best all-around person“ in the AHS yearbook. After high school, he attended Georgia Southwestern College for two years and then went to the University of Georgia where he earned extra money by cooking nightly meals for his roommates. He charged them a whopping $15 a week for this service. He attended UGA Pharmacy school and graduated with his degree in 1968. He returned to Americus where he worked as a pharmacist for 45 years. He had his own Eastside Drugs for 25 years where he always had coffee brewing, cherry vanilla cokes, and an open table in the back of the store for folks to “solve the world’s problems”. If you could not pay, he would “hang a ticket“ for you. In case you had a real emergency in the middle of the night, Billy would open the store to help you. The requests ranged from heart medicine to baby pacifiers. After retiring from the pharmacy business, Billy turned his attention to helping people in other ways. He frequently cooked meals for shut-ins, friends in need, or “just because”. His cheese straws were famous, as were his barbecue sauce, his pecan pie and homemade jams and jellies. He always loved time spent with his family and especially enjoyed teaching his grandchildren how to do every day things. The week before his last surgery, he gave a lesson on how to skin a catfish to his grandson, Ivan. When his children were teenagers, the Tye house was a favorite hangout, and Billy was a great dance instructor. Everybody loved Mr. Tye. He always remained a Georgia Bulldog at heart and was so thrilled with their two recent national championships. Go Dawgs! When his daughter, Melanie was at UGA, Billy was known as the tailgate king, and no one ever left hungry. These tailgates were legendary, and they are still talked about today. The world has lost an amazing husband, father-in-law, the best daddy, papa, and friend. He could never do enough for you and nothing made him happier than knowing he had brightened someone’s day. He taught his family how to be a good friend, how to be a wonderful father, and the importance of a good work ethic.” He will be dearly missed by so many whose lives he touched in a million different ways. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the American Heart Association in his memory. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at First Methodist Church in Americus . Dr. Daryl Brown will officiate the service. The family will greet friends Friday evening July 26th from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Aldridge Funeral & Cremation Services.

Mr. William Arthur "Billy" Tye

September 14, 1945 - July 21, 2024