Billye was born on October 21, 1929 in Wellborn, Texas to parents, Buna and Ben Price. She pursued a career in nursing beginning in 1972 and retired as a LVN from the Texas Department of Corrections. She was well known for her green thumb, great cooking, and German chocolate cakes. To her immediate family, she was known to do fun impersonations and have a dry sense of humor. She supported many organizations including local food banks and various Christian charities.
She was preceded in death by her husband, R.C. Cowen; brothers, Romney (Hazel) Price, Weldon (Lillian) Price and Vernon Price; sister, Ruth (George) Carroll; her nephews, Ronald Murphy and Georgie Carroll; her niece, Jean Steele; and her cousin, Blanche Prescott.
Billye is survived by her brother, Glennis (Janie) Price; her daughter, Janice (Mike) Shellabarger; her granddaughters, Melissa (Donald) Small and Melanie Shellabarger; her great-granddaughter, Kate Small; her nieces, Kay Hayes, Margaret (Michael) Dwyer, Sandy (Paul) Talley, Emily Staples, and Tracy (Neal) Cadenhead; her nephews, J.B. Carroll, Jim Carroll, David (Debbie) Price and Charles Price.
Visitation will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 19, 2021 at Memorial Funeral Chapel College Station, 3901 Texas Avenue South. Graveside services will be at 10:30 a.m., Friday at Peach Creek Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, she would prefer donations be made to the Twin City Mission or the Brazos Valley Food Bank.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralchapel.com for the Cowen family.