Obituary of Bill Speights

Bill peacefully transcended to be with the Lord on Sunday, September 17, 2023, at 7:14 pm. He was born and raised in Gainesville, Alabama on February 19, 1944, to the late John and Lorna (Edwards) Speights. After completing high school, Bill relocated to Peekskill, New York with his older brother, Huey, where he decided to settle and make a life for himself.

After working odd and end jobs, Bill joined the Laborers’ Union 235. Over the course of more than 50 years, Bill worked on hundreds of jobs and formed relationships with so many friends, many of whom became extended family. Up until his death, he kept in touch with many of his past colleagues and their families. This was the type of man he was. Bill has always been a man of hard work and integrity. He loved to work with his hands and build from scratch, whether by laying concrete for high-rise skyscrapers or for a patio in the backyard. Anyone who ever worked with him knew that they could depend on the fact that the job would be done flawlessly. Bill was the type of person who would take his time to measure twice and cut once, never taking shortcuts. He prided himself on his craft and his skill.
 

As the beloved patriarch of the Speights family, Bill always valued and loved his family wholeheartedly. Whether he was telling a story from memory or sharing a news story he got from Channel 12, he was consistently sharing his knowledge and teaching lessons. Two of his best qualities were his wisdom and his patience, something everyone around him benefited from. Always willing to help where he could or listen to what you had going on you knew that you could count on him and that he would do everything in his power to make sure the people he loved and respected were taken care of and were happy.
 

The eighth of nine children, Bill is predeceased by his sisters Pearlie Mae Clark, Emma Speights, and Marie Rice, and his brothers William Speights, Boatwright Speights, Huey Speights, and Simon Speights.

Bill is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 17 years, Gloria Speights. Best friends and partners in life and love, through sickness and in good health, Gloria remained devoted to Bill.  He will also be missed by his children Jerome (Margaret) Speights, Deborah (James) Archer, Charan Johnson, and Billy Williams. He will be lovingly remembered by his last surviving siblings, Niciea Stoudemire, and her daughters Pandora and Sheila, and Issac Clark, Jr. and his children Issac (Lisa) Clark III, Joanne Clark, and Jeffrey (Trish) Clark, his mother-in-law, Marian Smith, and his brothers-in-law, David (Rosa) Smith and Warren (Rosa) Smith.  He was also the beloved grandfather of Madison, Brandon, Courtney, Yolanda, Lamont, and Brian and great-grandfather of Emory, Seven, Monique, Mikayla, Marques, Michael, Cameron, and Cullen.  He will be fondly remembered as Uncle Bill by many nieces and nephews as well.
 

Regardless of whether you called him Mr. Speights, Uncle Bill, Dad, Papa, or Pop Pop, he will be forever missed by everyone whose lives and hearts he touched with his kind, easygoing nature and love of good food, cold drinks, and no-nonsense conversations.  Rest in peace, Bill, and eternally take it “Nice and Easy”.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Joseph F. Nardone Funeral Home, 414 Washington Street, Peekskill, NY.

Private cremation to follow.