William Ralph "Bill" Bushong Jr., age 69, of Lexington, died July 4, 2019, at Saint Joseph Hospital Hospice Care in Lexington. Born in Louisville, he was the son of the late Dr. William Ralph and Sue (McCullough) Bushong of Tompkinsville. He was the husband of Becky (Murphy) Bushong, who survives. They were married on Sept.21, 1975.
He was a retired commercial and residential building contractor, was a Kentucky Colonel and avid golfer and was able to live out his dream of playing The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland in 2012. He had served as a Lexington Parks and Rec Girls Basketball Team Coach. A member of the Tompkinsville High School Class of 1968, he lettered in football, track and basketball. He was the first THS student to win a Class A state championship in any sport (shot put in 1968). He received a football scholarship to University of Kentucky where he played defensive tackle for three years. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. He was inducted in the Monroe County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Molly Carr and her husband, Jonathan "Bull", of Lexington, and Becca Meadows and her husband, Ryan, of Arlington, Va.; one sister, Susan, of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; three brothers, Johnny and his wife, Cheryl, of Madisonville, Bobby and his wife, Becky, of Glasgow, and Paul,of Bradenton, Fl., ; five grandchildren, Briggs, Hudson, and Ella Carr and Beau and Samantha Meadows.
Gravesides services were held on Friday morning, July 6, at the Mt. Gilead Cemetery with Rodney Dickerson and Danny Neal officiating. Serving as pallbearers were Johnny and Bobby Bushong, Jonathan Carr, Yantez and Marty Murphy, Wes and Dan Dickerson, and Tyler Street. McMurtrey Funeral Home in Summer Shade was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial donations may be made to Buffalo Ridge - Wounded Soldiers Fund sponsored by Tennessee Wildlife Federation that takes wounded warriors on hunting trips, by clicking this link: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/NjAxNTU= or to the Special Olympics Program with the link: https://give:specialolympics.org/page/contribute . A Celebration of Life is planned for a later date.