Bill DeBusk

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

William Harrison “Bill” DeBusk 74, Kingsport, departed this world peacefully and entered Heavens Gates on Thursday, July 11, 2024 at JCMC, with his family by his side.

Born on May 19, 1950 to the late Harold Hughes DeBusk and Mary Will Sauceman DeBusk. Bill graduated from Unicoi High School and attended Kentucky School of Mortuary Science. He has been a licensed funeral director with the state of Tennessee for 52 years. Bill started his career in the funeral business at Erwin Memorial Funeral Home and a career that would then take him all the way to Jacksonville, FL before bringing him back home to TN. He then came to Hamlett-Dobson in the early 90’s , 2005 East Lawn and 2017 manager at East Tennessee Funeral Home and has now found himself back home to the place he always loved Hamlett-Dobson. He was a member and served as past President of the Kingsport Evening Civitian Club. He was a recipient of the Charlie Keener Good Citizenship award. 

Bill’s passion was serving his families in their time of grief. Bill will be remembered as a great caring and compassionate funeral director, and he would help anyone he could.

Preceding him in death are his parents; son, Conner James DeBusk; brother, Ralph Douglas DeBusk; and sister-in-law, Brenda Mead DeBusk.

Left to cherish Bill’s memory is his son, Jackson DeBusk (who was his entire world); mother of his son, BJ DeBusk (Jeff Wilder); sister, Joy DeBusk McGuffin (John); nieces, Lisa DeBusk Sweeney (Joshua), Lindsay Hagood-Smither (Allston); nephew, Clay Hagwood (Amanda); great-nephew, Ollis Smither; many cousins in Tennessee, Virginia and Florida; special friend, Judy Starnes; sister-in-law, Haley Hensley (Jace); and father and mother-in-law, Larry and Helen Hensley.

The family would like to thank all of Bill’s work-family at Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Homes for the care and love they have shown him throughout this time.

The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00pm on Monday, July 15, 2024 at Hamlett-Dobson Funeral Home, Kingsport. Services will be conducted at 7:00pm in the funeral home chapel with Pastor Chris Castle and Pastor Scottie Sexton officiating.