Mark Anthony Billingsley

Mark Anthony Billingsley, 53, of the Hickory Withe/Eads, Tennessee area went to the heavenly gates to meet the Lord on Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis. He was the afternoon personality/sensation for WGKX KIX 106 known as Memphis Mark “Hey Now!” “HellOOH BARTLETT!” If you’re like thousands of folks living in and around Memphis Town, Tennishoe, you’ve heard those words a bazillion times. They’re the unmistakable signature exclamations of the man who has for so many years been a constant friendly, funny, unique presence on Memphis airwaves…well, except for that brief, ill-advised hiatus when he was selling bricks…word! Memphis Mark Billingsley worked for FM-100 back in the day, but is best known as the DJ whose irrepressible “it’s a party!” persona has drawn people to KIX-106 every weekday for over two decades…well, okay, except for his brickyard period, and he was trapping beavers on the side for a while as a favor to a friend. A man of easy, natural humor and graciousness combined with mischief, Mark is truly one of those people of whom it can be said, that to know him is to love him, that he never meets a stranger, and that practically everyone feels that Mark is his best friend and he’s Mark’s best friend. As most KIX 106 listeners (and many others on Facebook) know, Mark suffered a serious medical episode on November 23rd, and countless prayers for his recovery and for his family’s strength and peace of mind have been offered up. It’s so hard now to have to say what we all hoped we would not have to say, that Memphis Mark has passed, peacefully and with his loved ones present. But you know, Mark has never been a sad person and we were talking earlier about Mark entering Heaven and got a little irreverent, envisioning Mark meeting the Lord and saying in his best radio remote style, “Hey Now! Jesus, spin the wheel for prizes and SOOprizes!” We love you Marko…HOLLAH! Mark is survived by his loving wife of 18 years, Karen Billingsley; daughters, Cortney Ellen Brugal (Niles Beers, fiancé); son, Paul Anthony Billingsley (Ashley); parents, Ronald Loyce and Bertha Mae Yancey Billingsley; grandchildren, Emma Grace Billingsley and Wyatt Louis Billingsley; sisters, Saundra Ash (Lonnie) and Cindy Weaver (Tim); brothers, Richard Billingsley and Ron Billingsley (Patty). The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. until service time at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, December 26, 2015 at Bellevue Baptist Church-Pollard Chapel with the interment to follow at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens-Germantown Road. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Online condolences may be expressed by visiting www.memphisfuneralhome.net