Their marriage produced two children. Their son, Gregory, lives in Atlanta, and is a finance director with Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Georgia. Their daughter, Cheryl Kirkland, lives in Montgomery. She and her husband are parents to Billy and Julia’s three grandchildren.
Billy served in the National Guard during his early days at MonCre. It was a time when guardsmen were required to use their own personal vacation time for training purposes, and Billy did so for six years. On one such training mission during the Vietnam War years, Billy was called to duty at Fort Lee, Virginia, only to arrive and find his company’s commander to be someone he knew – Captain Bill Fannin, the father of Linda Missilidine, MonCre’s Chief Financial Officer.
Billy’s job may have begun as physically hard, but it never dampened his enthusiasm for working at MonCre. In fact, it was quite the contrary. His easy smile and pleasant disposition bring fond memories from those who have worked with him. He, too, has good recollections. “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity I’ve had to make friends everywhere my job took me,” he says. Customer satisfaction was always very important to Billy. “If there was a problem, some customers would call MonCre and specifically request that I come to repair their phone,” he continues. “They were customers and friends, too.”
Now that he has retired from MonCre, he plans to spend more time at his favorite pastimes – as a fisherman, hunter and as a builder. He is proficient at all three. He loves to build, and has constructed three houses and is currently working on a board and batten cabin. “I don’t use any building plans – I just see it in my head,” he laughs.
His fishing stories are not only interesting, but true. “I once caught a 90-lb catfish out of the Alabama River,” he says. A true claim – the man and fish were featured in the popular Field and Stream Magazine. He missed having the record catch by a mere 10 lbs. He released the fish back into the river, but has hopes of catching him again one day – “Smarter, probably,” Billy says, “only 10 lbs heavier!”
Working with hunting groups, Billy has found interest in recent years leasing land for four such hunting clubs. It has become one of his favorite outdoor pleasures, and he looks forward to the next hunting season.
Billy’s love of hunting and fishing has also led him to enjoy cooking wild game. He has been an important asset in the success of the Annual Wild Game Dinner held each year as a fundraiser for the South Montgomery Academy School. This popular event draws hundreds of the hungry and curious – ready to sample the usual and unusual foods. A Louisiana friend always supplies 300 to 400 lbs of crawfish to add to the mix of everything from alligator to the occasionally served rattlesnake. The event raises in excess of $20,000 for the school every year.
Billy enjoys life, and it shows. He enjoys his family, his friends and his hobbies. He also enjoys having known the people and the customers of MonCre, where he has worked for the past 45 years.
Billy Chandler is a good friend and the kind of employee that MonCre Telephone is proud to have called their own.
US National News
