William T. Bay

William Taylor Bay, 82, of Burlington, KY arrived at his ultimate destination on June 9, 2018, in Cincinnati, OH.  Born September 30, 1935 in Brooksville, KY, he was the only child of S. William Bay and Fay Taylor Bay and attended Bracken County High School until he realized that schooling was interfering with his education.  He was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, and once drove round trip from Colorado Springs to Brooksville KY on a 3 day leave to visit his sweetheart, JoAnn Bonfield – a feat that landed him in the infirmary for 30 days with pneumonia. Bill and JoAnn married on October 18, 1958 and moved the family to Boone County, KY in 1966 where he began a job at Cincinnati Bell and a career of entrepreneurism.  He taught his children the difference between a good job and a poor job is about 15 minutes of cleanup, and that in a successful sale both parties feel they got a deal. He insisted that all four of his children attend the University of Kentucky, and was bitterly disappointed that the resulting diplomas did not entitle him to season basketball tickets. Bill enjoyed the company of friends, a great meal and a game of Euchre, and everyone could tell by his raucous laughter when he was winning. Bill and JoAnn retired in 1990 and embarked on a life of adventure, timing their travels in the land yacht with the goal of never having to wear socks and collecting stories and friends along the way.  Wherever they were, on their daily walk Bill would greet everyone in his path, an action described by his children as “running for mayor.”  When home for the warm months, he indulged his passion for neatness by mowing everything within an inch of its life and then admiring the view from their home on a bluff just upriver from Rabbit Hash, KY. Bill will be dearly missed by his devoted wife of 59 years, JoAnn, their children: Laura Beth Wallace (Dennis),  Shawn Taylor Bay (Lyly), Brice Joseph Bay (Jill) and Shannon Erin Bay; grandchildren Vivian Brackett, Asa Brackett, Dorothy Brackett, Gabriel Bay, Adriana Bay, Joseph Bay, Ellison Bay and Margaret Bay as well as extended family and cherished friends.  A celebration of his life will be held at a later date, and the family requests that all who knew him continue to tell Bill Bay stories so he will live forever. Memorial contributions may be made to Alois Alzheimer Foundation; 70 Damon Road, Cincinnati, OH 45218 or www.aloisalzheimerfoundation.org.