Billy Gene Page of Smiths Station died Oct. 29, 2026. He was 91. He attended Smiths Station public schools and studied mathematics and engineering at the University of Tampa and the University of Alabama. He began work as a boilermaker at 17, building water towers, and later worked for Sears, Roebuck and Co. until retiring in 1995. In later years he became a historian of Russell County. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Columbus. His wife, Dianne, died in 2023. He is survived by two children, two stepchildren, grandchildren, a great-grandchild and a sister.