When William Lee Clinton (or Mr. Bill, by his family and friends), was born on July 3rd, 1925, it was a very different world. Calvin Coolidge was president, movies were still silent, and the “Chicago Cardinals” were the NFL champions. Now, 16 presidents later, movies have budgets upwards of $400 million, and the Cardinals are a baseball team from St. Louis.
Mr. Bill has lived a long, remarkable life, from his modest upbringing as a sharecropper’s son, to flying 35 missions in WW 2, logging 500 flight hours as a B-24 tall gunner, fighting at the Battle of the Bulge and to becoming the Director of Evangelism for Georgia’s Baptist Convention, he’s a man full of incredible stories and experience. You might be thinking, “What has gotten him through it all?” Mr. Bill gives the credit to his faith. During the war, he’d often return to his barracks after particularly frightening missions and see the stripped beds and empty lockers of his fellow soldiers. The grief and anxiety this caused led him to seek solace in his faith. He’d often recite bible chapters Psalm 23 and Psalm 46, and sing hymns, finding that they brought him comfort and peace.
When he came home, he married Marion Hulme, and had two daughters, Sandra and Sharon. He attended seminary, and upon graduation, went on a mission trip to Brazil with his wife and two children, where they would spend the next 16 years. He had an old police van gifted by the missionaries before him, which kept him safe from thieves and other dangerous people. He had two more daughters during his time there, named Laurie and Priscilla. Upon returning from a revival in the mountains near Sao Paulo, he and his friend got in a car accident. His injuries required him to come home, where he devoted the next several decades to pastoring at various churches across northern Georgia.
On July 3rd, 2025, he celebrated his 100th birthday at Manor Lake Assisted Living, where he currently resides, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you to Eric Cayson with Tapestry Hospice for all that you did, and for facilitating the letters that were gifted from Governor Kemp and Representative Josh Bonner, congratulating Mr. Bill on his life and accomplishments, as well as the beautiful American flag quilt. Mr. Bill also greatly enjoyed seeing and visiting with the riders from the American Legion who attended the celebration.
Happy birthday, Mr. Bill — and thank you for a life so faithfully and generously lived.

Submitted by Eli Hand