Living the Life of RyLee

When I made the decision to commit more time writing in Nashville last fall I also felt lead to find a home church to attend. I never thought of myself as someone who would go to church and join a choir, however doing so has been one of my greatest blessings here in Nashville. It has provided a new sense of family being such a distance from my family in Canada. Family is exactly what the members at Cornerstone Church have become and over this past week the church lost two very dear family members. Known in Nashville for his country music career and being a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Billy Walker and his wife Bettie, along with two members of his band, were killed in a car accident last Sunday morning while they made their way home from a gig in Alabama. The funeral was the most graceful service I have seen, with moving performances by Connie Smith, Ricky Scaggs & Vince Gill. The choir sang, Pastor Davis gave a moving sermon and many smiles through the tears could be seen while those attending listened to stories and watched slide shows of the wonderful life Billy and Bettie lived. To close the service the choir filed down from the platform while singing Amazing Grace, lining the isle hand in hand while the caskets gracefully rolled away. Family and friends including Little Jimmy Dickens, Lori Morgan, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Porter Wagner, Steve Warner & many more came to pay their respects at the most beautiful send off anyone of us could hope for. Billy & Bettie Walker were known for their passion for leading people to the Lord and living in the word of God daily. To quote a song Billy recorded only weeks before his death, “Before the dirt leaves the shovel, I’m already home” we all find comfort knowing that Billy and Bettie have arrived in Heaven together. Go rest high on that mountain Billy and Bettie, it was an honor to sing for you. www.billywalker.com