William Appleby Royal

William Appleby “Bill” Royal, born in Tuscaloosa, AL on March 5, 1945, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 1, 2023 at the age of 77. Bill grew up in Selma, AL where he learned early on the value of hard work from his parents. As a young man, he held several odd jobs including selling Christmas trees, stacking wood and delivering the Selma Times Journal. After graduating from Parrish (now Selma) High School, he enrolled at Auburn University in the fall of 1963. During his tenure at Auburn, Bill worked at a boarding house and later joined the Theta Chi Fraternity, all while fulfilling his military obligation. Upon graduating from Auburn, he chose to continue his military career and soon headed west to Officer Candidate School in San Diego, CA. He was commissioned as an officer and began his active service in the US Navy on October 27, 1967.

Continuing his military training in Atlanta, GA, he met a schoolteacher from Miami, FL named Judy Parks. They would later marry in February 1971 and remained married until her death in 2015. The Military would move Bill and Judy to Charleston, SC and later to Honolulu, HI, where Bill continued his active service (and also obtained an MS degree). In July of 1978, he transitioned from Active to Reserve duty, and later moved his family back to his hometown of Selma, AL. There they began raising their three children. A natural at attention to detail, Bill would work in real estate as a property owner and realtor for many years. Ultimately, in 1986, he was recruited to Birmingham and relocated his family to work for Harbert Construction.

Bill retired from military service (Reserve duty) in July of 1992 at the rank of Captain, and later retired from his construction administration work in 2001. Bill set a great example by always providing for his family and loving his family well. His passions included playing cards, genealogy research, negotiating a “deal”, cheering for Auburn, spending time with his family and spoiling his grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents Dan and Dorothy Royal, and his wife Judy Parks Royal. He is survived by brothers Danny (Barbara) and David; Sister Mary Susan Elley; Sons Bill (Michael), Doug (Laura) and Michael (Annah); his four grandchildren, Raines, Tyson, Sydney and Rollins Royal, as well as a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

A celebration of life will be held on Monday, January 9, 2023 beginning at 12 noon with the memorial service at 1:00 pm at Ridout Valley Chapel, Homewood.

In lieu of flowers memorials in memory of Bill Royal can send be send to UAB Pulmonary to continue research on Interstitial Lung Disease at http://go.uab.edu/pulmonarygifts.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutsvalleychapel.com for the Royal family.