William Berlin Lanier

With great sadness the family of William B. Lanier announces his passing peacefully at home on Thursday, December 3, 2020. He was known to his many friends throughout the Memphis area as Bill, Billy, Mr. Billy, Cousin Bill and Coach.

Born January 13, 1941 Bill was an only child to James Berlin and Fay (Gement) Lanier. Bill's father died when he was an infant. He was raised in the Enterprise community (Union County, MS). When he was a teenager, he and his mother moved to Memphis. He would spend most weekends with the family of Sarah (Ferguson) and Kenneth A. Crain in Byhalia, MS.

He was a member of St. Luke's Methodist Church in Memphis and the Byhalia United Methodist Church. St. Luke's former Pastor, Mark Mathney was dear to Bill. He often commented that without Brother Mark he wouldn't have been the man he was. To those who knew Bill, he was the finest, most generous, loyal and honorable Christian gentleman they had ever known. Bill would give you the shirt off his back if you asked for it. Bill always signed his letters and notes "Make God #1 in Your Life."

Bill graduated from Christian Brothers High School (CBHS) with the class of 1959. He remained loyal to CBHS throughout his life. He often commented that the "Brothers" were his second family and sported, daily, the school colors of purple and gold. He was a staunch supporter of the athletic teams. CBHS Coaches Bubba Luckett, Buster Kelso and Thomas McDaniel without fail saw to it that Coach was "provided for" and "taken care of" when he attended the practices and games. It goes without saying; Mr. Billy will be missed by everyone at CBHS.

His work career spanned six decades beginning at Hart's Bakery and Dobb's House. He served in the Tennessee Air National Guard for almost 38 years retiring in 2001 with the rank of Sergeant First Class. He further served our Country in 1990, when he was deployed to Desert Storm. During his tenure with the Guard, he received numerous awards and citations. The one he most cherished was the Minute Man Award. Wherever Bill traveled, he would actively recruit for the National Guard. He vowed, "I will be recruiting for the Guard on my death bed."

He worked for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department for 23 years. After retiring from the National Guard and the Sheriff Department, he worked part-time at the Superlo store located on Spotswood Avenue. The family would like to thank Sharon and all the Superlo staff for treating Bill as one of their own. One of Bill's last comments was "After this virus stuff is over, I'm going back to work at the Superlo, I miss them." Also, the staff at the Millington Naval Base Commissary, especially his friend Chandra, was especially kind and thoughtful to him.

Bill was an active member of the Byhalia Area Chamber of Commerce and the Byhalia Lions Club. He helped raise funds for St. Jude Children Hospital, the Boy Scouts and many other charitable causes through the years.

Bill had many friends in Memphis and North Mississippi. You could hardly visit a restaurant or store without someone calling out, Billy or Coach. Special and longtime friends are: Doris and Leo West, Charles Lenahan, George Sykes, Richard Clark, Kenny Myers and Tom Gatti. Bill also spoke fondly about his many cherished friends at his apartment complex.

The Crain family would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to Doctor Robert Krause and his staff for patiently being there for Coach.

Bill was like a brother and uncle to the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Sarah and Kenneth Crain. They are: Charles (Joy); the late Donald (Carey); Sarah Fay (Doug Williams) and her late husband, Terry; Vic (Mary); Nell (Frank).

Grandchildren: Ken (Allison), Kelly (Lori), Seth, Elizabeth (Danny); Sarah, Allen (Liz Ann); Scott (Rebecca), Anderson

Great grandchildren: Sabrina, Kennedy, Ryan, Carter, Cannon, Reed, Teddy and Sarah Ellen.

Bill dearly loved his cousins Suzanne Ferguson Bailey, Jimmy Ferguson, and their late sister, Kaye.

A memorial service will be held on a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations are given in Bill's memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Christian Brothers High School Athletic Department, or your choice of charity.

Bill, Billy, Mr. Billy, Cousin Bill and/or Coach will be missed by all. Upon hearing of his passing one friend commented "He lived a storied life."

"Make God #1 in Your Life."