One of my heroes died yesterday.

I first heard of Billy when he was a star pitcher for a Little League baseball team in a nearby town. I later met him when we played on the same high school basketball team; he was a senior when I was a freshman. Still later, we became teammates on a softball team that won the Kentucky state tournament in 1979. Along the way I grew to love him dearly.

I looked up to Billy in many ways. He was a great athlete who excelled in every sport he tried. He had a winning personality; everybody liked Billy. He was a respected businessman in the community. He was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. Billy’s parents were proud of him. Who wouldn’t want to be like Billy?

I moved away from my hometown for many years, so I didn’t see Billy often, but I still admired him from a distance.

Billy began to experience some serious health problems. A serious heart attack at a young age led to a heart transplant. If that wasn’t enough, cancer attacked his body…several times. Billy always fought back. Even in sickness, he was a good role model, speaking at churches about how—with the Lord’s help–he had dealt with adversity.

Billy had won so many battles against serious illness, his friends and family thought he would win this latest battle as well. But even heroes have to die sometime. One of mine, Billy Barbour, died yesterday morning.

We will meet again, and it is all made possible by a hero who will live forever—Jesus Christ!