William "Billy" L. Temples, Jr., 67, of Newberry died Thursday, June 20, 2024 at Newberry County Memorial Hospital, surrounded by his family.

Born on October 31, 1956 in Aiken SC, he was a son of the late Joyce Cox and William "Bill" Lamar Temples, Sr.

He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

He was passionate about his career in law enforcement. From 1982 to 2003 he served with the Ninety-Six Police Department, Newberry County Sheriff's Office, and the City of Newberry Police Department, where he retired as Lieutenant.

He was a member of the Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina, Newberry Amity Lodge #87, the Hejaz Shrine Temple, and the Newberry Shrine Club. Billy will always be remembered by those he served with as a kind, gentle giant with a heart of gold. He was a good man, humble, and kind. Billy enjoyed hunting deer for much of his life. He was funny, had a great sense of humor, and was known to tell really good, bad jokes.

He was proud of his accomplishments, at the top of the list, the roles of father and grandfather. He loved his children and grandchildren deeply and was proud of each one of them.

Billy is survived by his daughters, Ami Temples (Jeremy) and Abbi Temples Cook (Corey) of Newberry; grandchildren, Aubrey, Jacen, Emma, and Jaxon; brother, Jeff Temples (Traci) of Ninety Six; sister, Cindi Crowder of Ninety-Six; step-sister, Roxane Richardson (Kurt) of Lexington; special friend, Martha Barr, numerous nieces and nephews, family and friends, including the mother of his children, Carrie Epting.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his step- mother Diane Pender Temples and his step-sister, Kathy Hutto.

Services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 27, 2024 by Pastor Todd Johnson and Bishop Matt Templin, at Whitaker Funeral Home, Newberry. Interment will follow at Rosemont Cemetery. The family will receive friends 1 hour prior to the service, starting at 10 AM on Thursday.

The family extends a special thank you to Dr. McCoy and the ICU and 3rd floor nursing teams at Newberry County Memorial Hospital for the excellent and compassionate care they provided to Billy.

Memorials are suggested to the Shriner's Hospital in memory of Noble Billy Temples, c/o Hejaz Shriners, 119 Beverly Road, Greenville, SC 29609.

Memories and messages may be shared with the family on his tribute page at whitakerfuneralhome.com.

Whitaker Funeral Home is honored to serve the Temples family.