Billy Hobgood Obituary November 6, 2023 | Pryor, OK
He was born April 30, 1943, to the late Wallace and Anna Katherine (Brantley) Hobgood. Billy was a graduate of Bosse High School and joined the U.S. Navy with his best friend Tom Hill in the buddy system. Along with his father and siblings, they owned Tri-State Homes and Garages and Billy later founded Trusses by Hobgood and was a member of the Southern Indiana Building Association for over 40 years.
Billy lived a long life full of hobbies and adventures. As a longtime fisherman, he was a member of the Ken Bar Bass Club and Red Man Fishing Tournament. While most of his fishing was on Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, he loved his fishing trips to Mexico. In addition to fishing, he was an avid hunter and enjoyed the many weekends in the deer stand with his wife, Karen, and many friends.
In his earlier years as a father and husband, Billy enjoyed raising his three girls and spending weekends at Lake Barkley camping at Prizer Point and Holiday Hills. He would enjoy spending his mornings fishing, then swing back by the camp to get the girls and spend the rest of the day letting them ski behind the boat until dinner.
As a longtime basketball fan, Billy loved his Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and the Purple Aces where he held season tickets for over two decades. He switched his love of sports as his granddaughters grew into their own sports and activities, rarely missing a cheerleading competition, soccer game, musical and so much more.
One of Billy’s favorite hobbies was racing. Since 1970, he was involved in Tri-State Speedway and went onto sponsor and eventually own a sprint car driven by his son-in-law from 1996-2000. The 90’s were pretty much spent at the track with his entire family in tow. Billy was a man who loved to include his family in every memory he made.
Billy and Karen were true snowbirds! They enjoyed spending the winter at their second home on Lake Okeechobee, Florida enjoying the warm weather and endless hours fishing with friends- enjoying his favorite Bloody Mary’s and unwillingly listening to his best friend, Ed Underwood, sing karaoke.
Billy was a mover and a shaker and loved to travel, but his favorite place to be was with his family around the dinner table. He was so proud of his three daughters and four granddaughters and always doted on them any chance he could. As he became a great-grandfather, his love grew and he enjoyed watching the kid’s open presents, hunt Easter eggs, and watch them grow.
Billy is survived by his loving wife, Karen, daughters, Christine (Billy) Houghland, Catherine (Mark) Boarman, and Cheryl (J.C.) Sulawske, grandchildren, Kelley (Robert) Ewers, Kendra (Ryan) Neumann, Sami (Matt Schwartz) Sulawske, Sophie Sulawske, 8-great grandchildren, sister-in-law, Nancy Hobgood, nieces and nephews, his lifelong friend, Tom Hill, and his beloved pets, Snookie and Miss Kitty.
In addition to his parents, Billy was preceded in death by his loving wife Judy of 37 years, brothers Darrell, Larry, and Roger, sister, Sherry and sister-in-law Phyllis.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Boone Funeral Home East Chapel – A Family Tradition Funeral Home, 5330 Washington Avenue with Pastor Steve Clayton officiating. Entombment will be in Memorial Park Mausoleum.
