Billie Joan (Doades) Furnish, 91, passed into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Hoosier Village Retirement Community. She was kind, cheerful, creative, loving, helpful, and a woman of strong faith.
Billie was born in Washington, Indiana, on August 5, 1935, to Wilbur and Doris (Smith) Doades. She was the youngest of three daughters. They were close in age and had a special bond that continued throughout their lives. She was born in the middle of the Great Depression, and though times were tough for their family, they always had plenty to eat and a roof over their heads. For the first few years of her life, they lived in a red brick former schoolhouse that her parents turned into a home.
Growing up, Billie enjoyed 4-H, especially baking and sewing, roller skating, going to fairs, state parks, beaches, and church camp. She became an extremely gifted seamstress, a skill she continued to refine throughout her life. She and her sisters, known around town as “the Doades Girls,” sang together frequently at church events. As she entered high school, she excelled academically, achieving the title of Washington High School Valedictorian for the class of 1953. She continued her high school job as a bookkeeper/teller at a local savings and loan until the fall of 1956 when she enrolled in Franklin College. She enjoyed her college years, majoring in elementary education and pledging the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. She particularly enjoyed meeting a handsome young man named Roger Furnish, a sophomore from Kokomo, home from Germany after serving three years in the Air Force. She invited him to a sorority Sadie Hawkins dance, and the rest is history. During their January 1959 semester break, they married, becoming loving lifelong partners. They honeymooned in Evansville and then rushed back to campus as both had class on Wednesday! They were married for 67 years. He preceded her in death three short months ago.
Billie graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1960 and began teaching second grade in Franklin. The pair moved to Evansville for Roger’s job in 1962, later moving to Kendallville in 1964, where Billie continued to teach second grade and began her graduate work at Saint Francis College in Fort Wayne, later receiving her Master of Science in Education degree in 1968. In January 1966, she and Roger joyfully welcomed the first of their three daughters, beginning their journey as parents. She then devoted many years to raising her family as a full-time mother and homemaker.
Roger opened the Bedford Dairy Queen franchise in 1969, and Billie managed the bookkeeping and payroll from home. Days were filled with swimming at their local pool, playing at the park, and visits to the library as she encouraged a love of learning. She always had a home improvement or creative project underway as she found joy in taking something old and giving it new life. She sewed most of her daughter’s clothes and over the years also made their prom dresses, a daughter’s wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, and countless alterations across generations.
After the girls were school age, she began substitute teaching, returning to the classroom full-time in 1982 for the Bedford North Lawrence School Corporation. She taught a total of 36 years, 26 years in Bedford (mostly kindergarten and first grade) and 10 years at other schools. She retired in 2006 but returned to the classroom five years later for a few long-term substitute teaching roles. The corporation presented her with a Bedford limestone bench in honor of her years of service. Her bench, along with a limestone sundial designed by Roger, has resided on the Hoosier Village campus as part of the flagpole military display since their move to the community in 2013.
Music was always a big part of Billie’s life. She had a beautiful alto voice and sang in many choirs. She played in the hand bell choir at Hoosier Village Chapel, and previously at their home church, Bedford First Baptist, where she and Roger were members for more than 40 years. She played the piano and taught herself the clarinet, dulcimer, and autoharp. For many years she was part of the Bedford nursing home ministry, leading the music during their Sunday services. She and Roger enjoyed performing in community theater, volunteering at the Lawrence County Museum, and even took up square dancing.
Along with her love of sewing, she enjoyed knitting, taking long walks, gardening, reading, watching baseball and basketball games, and going to musical performances. She also loved her ever-growing family who will miss her dearly: daughters Carla (Timothy) Davis of Zionsville, IN, Laura (Chris) Waldo of Marshfield, WI, and Lisa (Jason) Woodward of Bedford, IN; grandchildren Abigail (David), Hannah, Luke, Seth (Adriana), Rachel (Samuel), Naomi, Alicia (Zachary), Andrew (Marissa), Riley (Weston), and Ethan; great-grandchildren Sadie, Clara, Leo, Magdalen, Isaiah, Emelia, Emerson, and Elaina.
The family sends a special thank you to the Hickory Hall staff for their love and support during her time in their care.
Visitation will be at the Hoosier Village Chapel on Sunday, October 4, 2026, from 1 pm – 2 pm, with the funeral following at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association and Hoosier Village Chapel.
