William Lively

He was born on Oct. 30, 1948, in Leitchfield, Ky., to Robert and Ethel Lively. He was preceded in death by both of his parents. Survivors include his wife, Judith Lively; his son, Warren Lively; his sister, Linda Allen; and his brother, Charles Lively; as well his nieces and nephews, Sally Evans (Cletis), Stephen Allen (Jen), Michael Lively, and Lynda Whitmore (David). He also leaves behind countless friends and acquaintances.

Bill was a man of myriad talents and held various careers over the course of his life. He was a teacher, owned a pizza restaurant, was an auctioneer, sold insurance, then later settled into the work he was truly meant to do as a licensed family/marriage counselor specializing in grief counseling for Hosparus.

He was a lifelong lover of good food and conversation, especially sweets, the West and the mountains, learning about the world and its history, and music and art of every kind. He dearly loved his thirteen-year-old pup-pup, Lucy, and delighted in sneaking her food from the table.

His greatest love, and the one he passed on to and shared with most of the people in his life, was that of reading and writing. He was a member of the Cherokee Round Table in Louisville, Ky. and wrote widely over the years, even publishing a collection of his poetry in 2006 named A Severance Of Passion. Throughout his life he was always working on a variety of poetry, short stories, plays, and novels.

More than anything though Bill cherished spending his time with family and friends, and was truly the best father any man could possibly be. He was intelligent, funny, kind, open-hearted, and deep down just a genuinely good person. Anyone who spent any time with him could see this tenderness and kindness.

There will be a viewing and small ceremony on Friday, August 7, 2026 at The Brown Funeral Home in Elizabethtown, Ky. The viewing will be from 11AM-2PM and the ceremony from 2-3PM. A reception will follow from 3PM-7PM at The Haycraft in downtown Elizabethtown.

If you wish to honor Bill’s memory, have a drink with friends, take a trip somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, enjoy a beautiful meal with those closest to you, take a drive on a lovely evening with the windows down and listen to your favorite album, adopt a dog or cat, or read a good book. Talk to people and really listen. Enjoy this life and live it in a way which you can look back upon with fondness and genuine satisfaction.

The family also wishes to thank the staff of Baptist Health, all the nurses and doctors who provided comfort and care in his final days. Death comes for us all, but if you’ve lived a life of which you're proud, that day shouldn’t be one of sadness, but rather a celebration of time well spent.