Bill Sipes

Bill Sipes (William Houston Jr.) was born on August 4, 1946, in Jackson, Tennessee. This special day was filled with joy as it was also his father's twenty-first birthday. The arrival of little Bill was a delightful surprise that marked the beginning of a life full of joyous twists and turns.

Bill grew up in Jackson. His family owned Wallick Music Company. It was here, under the gentle and loving guidance of his grandma Cassie, that Bill discovered his love for music. He became a talented musician, and when his father sold the University of Mississippi its band uniforms, destiny smiled. Bill found his college home and attended the university on a music scholarship. He played first chair trumpet in both the band and orchestra during the unforgettable Archie Manning years.

At Ole Miss, Bill’s life took another happy turn when he met Margaret, the love of his life. Her father, with a playful gleam in his eye, suggested that CPAs made better providers than musicians. Embracing this advice with a smile, Bill switched his major to accounting and graduated with a BBA in 1968. Despite the career change, his love for music remained undiminished. On January 5, 1969, Bill and Margaret were married in a joyful double elopement with her sister, a day filled with laughter and love.

As the Vietnam War loomed, fate intervened again. While Bill awaited his draft notice, the wife of the head of the draft board strolled into the music store needing a band director for Savannah High School. The next day, Bill received both a draft deferment and a contract for the job. Summers were spent happily at the University of Southern Mississippi, earning his Master’s in music. Bill and Margaret then moved back to Jackson, where he directed the band at Tigrett Junior High until the birth of their son, a joyous event that inspired Bill to open his own accounting practice.

For the next 43 years, Bill ran the CPA and Business Valuation firm of Sipes and Seaton with his dear friend and partner, Stacy Seaton. His career was marked by numerous accomplishments: writing four accounting Source Books, teaching at Union University, and serving on the Tennessee Board of Accounting. Bill was a cornerstone of the community, actively involved in the McKellar-Sipes Airport Board, Blood Bank Board, Hospital Board, Arts Council, Symphony Board, and more. From 1987 to 1992, he served as a State Representative. Throughout these years, Bill and Margaret sang in the church choir at First Presbyterian and played in the handbell choir.

Bill's heart soared when he was flying his plane, a favorite pastime other than bragging about his son. He loved traveling and taking family and friends to Ole Miss football games.

In 2018, fulfilling Margaret’s wish, Bill retired and moved to Celebration to be near their son. The arrival of their only grandchild, who quickly became the light of his life, brought him boundless happiness.

Bill passed away on his seventy-eighth birthday, leaving behind a refrigerator full of chocolate desserts sent by family and friends who knew of his sweet tooth.

He is survived by his beloved wife Margaret, their son Smithy and his wife Allison, granddaughter Quinn Elizabeth; sisters Gina Fortner and her husband Tim, and Carroll Hall (husband, the late Frank Hall); brother Louis and his wife Donna; and many cherished nieces and nephews.

On Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 2:00pm join the Sipes family for a Celebration of Life remembering and honoring Bill Sipes at Community Presbyterian Church, 511 Celebration Ave. Celebration, FL. 34747.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Celebration Presbyterian Church Children’s Program at www.commpres.org or the Celebration Community Chorus at www.celebrationchorus.org