Billie Ruth Gayheart

        Billie Ruth Gayheart was born November 25, 1941, at the Mount Mary Hospital at Hazard, Kentucky, to Willis Carter and Lena (Owens) Strong. At the age of four they moved from Tribbey, Kentucky, to the head of Combs Branch at Dwarf, Kentucky. There she and her younger brother, Willis Junior, could play in the creek and on swings their dad had built for them in an old barn. Another brother, Kevin Dale, was added nineteen years after Willis Junior was born.

        Billie Ruth attended grades one through four at Dwarf Grade School in a two-room building with one of the rooms having folding doors that could be used to make it into two rooms. From here, she went to Robinson Elementary to finish the fifth through eighth grades. She then went to M.C. Napier High School at Darfork, Kentucky, where she was an active member of the band for three years.

        Two years after graduation, she met and married Thurman “Bud” Gayheart, the son of Lewis and Nealy (Smith) Gayheart from Softshell, Kentucky. To this union would be born two sons: Lewis Carter, who is married to Tammy Edwards, and William Lee, who is married to Tammy Feltner. Billie Ruth also has two granddaughters: Ashley and Denise.

        When Lewis Carter was ready to start school, Billie Ruth was asked to work in the lunchroom of Beckham Combs Elementary, which was just opening its doors to students for the first time. She worked at that for one and a half years and when they needed a secretary, she was asked to fill that position, which she did. She would remain in this position until the birth of her second son, William Lee. She stayed at home until he was ready to start school. She was then asked to be a Leave Replacement at the Vest Post Office, which she did from 1975 until 1990. During this time she also did custom framing for Bradley’s Art and Frame Shop at Vest, Kentucky.

        Billie Ruth is a past member of the Black Gold Festival Committee and is currently a very active member of the Knott County Gingerbread Festival Committee. She was a member of the Ball Creek Volunteer Fire Department and the Ball Creek Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.

        It is in these last two positions that Billie Ruth has endeared herself to the people of Knott and surrounding counties. For it is here that she has shown what the spirit of “volunteerism” is all about. For many years she has been there when the Ball Creek VFD and the Gingerbread Committee needed a level-headed individual to pull them through some tough times. She has continually given of herself, her time, energies, and in many cases personal funds to help when help was needed and bridge difficult times. She has done this freely and without any effort to seek personal attention to herself and in many cases doing all in her power to avoid drawing attention to what she was doing. It is this spirit that has endured her to all that she works with and her spirit is the reason that these organizations have met with such success.

        In her words, she states that she is very proud to be inducted into the Knott County Heritage Hall along side of her Great Grandfather Granby Carew Smith, her Great Uncle Afton McHenry Smith, and so many other outstanding Knott County citizens.