March 8, 1960 ~ September 28, 2026 (age 66)
William Lee “Bill” Oliver, Jr., 66, of Lanett, Alabama died Monday, September 28, 2026, at his home. Mr. Oliver was born in Langdale, Alabama on March 8, 1960, to the late William Lee Oliver, Sr. and the late May McDonald Oliver.
Mr. Oliver attended Lanett Elementary School and graduated from Springwood School in 1978, where he was named All-State in football, basketball, and baseball. He graduated from Troy University with a degree in business and enjoyed a long career with West Point Stevens, eventually retiring from John Soules Foods.
As an active member of the community, Mr. Oliver taught Sunday School at Lanett First United Methodist Church, served as president of the Springwood Athletic Club, and was a former member of the West Point Lions Club where he served a term as president. At Springwood, he was a legacy board member and was also inducted into the first class of the Athletics Hall of Fame. He particularly enjoyed his time being the assistant coach for the varsity girls’ basketball team, and later the boys’ team at Springwood. One of his favorite achievements was helping coach the 1993 Springwood girls’ basketball team to the A.I.S.A state basketball championship.
An avid sports fan, Mr. Oliver’s favorite teams were first and foremost the Auburn Tigers, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco Giants. Amazingly, he attended every single Auburn home football game from 1970 until the Covid lockdown in 2020.
His favorite times were spent with his wife, three daughters, and five grandchildren. One of his joys in life was watching and mentoring his oldest granddaughter in basketball.
Mr. Oliver is survived by his wife, Denise Sims Oliver; his daughters, Katie (Slade) Ponder, Kristen (Charlie) Groover, and Karlee (River) Hadaway; grandchildren, Reese Ponder, Sara Grace Ponder, Emerson Hadaway, Marlo Hadaway, and Warren Groover; mother-in-law, Margurite Sims; aunt, Ann Batson; sisters-in-law, Lisa (Greg) Neil, Lara (Mark) Carmichael; niece, Anna Carmichael; nephews, Joe (Allie) Neil, Jacob Neil, Steven Coker and great-niece, Junie Neil; and cousin and best friend, Dickie McCarthy.
A memorial service for Mr. Oliver will be held on Friday, October 2nd, 2026, at 3:00 PM (EDT) at the Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home Chapel in Valley. Mr. Dickie McCarthy, the Reverend Rusty Williams and the Reverend Donnie Erwin-Brown will officiate. Mr. Oliver’s family will receive friends Friday afternoon at the funeral home from 2:00 PM (EDT) until the service hour.
In lieu of flowers, Mr. Oliver’s family asks that donations be made to Hopewell Methodist Church, https://give.tithe.ly/my-church or to the Alzheimer’s Association, https://curealz.org/giving/donate in his memory.
Local Obituaries brought to you by Frederick-Dean and Valley Point Funeral Homes. “Serving our communities in their time of need”.
