Billy Andrews

Billy Joe “BJ” Andrews, 86, of Grand Cane, entered the gates of Heaven on September 14, 2024, surrounded by family.

He is survived by his loving wife, Betty, whom he fondly called “Mama”; daughters, Fredia Andrews, of Lafayette, LA, and Brenda Bison (husband Tommy) of Grand Cane, LA; and son, Bill Andrews (wife Brenda) of Shreveport, LA; sister, Mary Beth Ware of Haynesville, LA; 8 granddaughters, 3 grandsons, and a very large host of great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Hazel Lucas and stepfather, C.D. Lucas; biological father, William “Bill” Andrews; and his grandmother, Mary Pratt Lyons, who raised him.

BJ served 26.5 years in the Army Reserves before retiring as an E8 Master Sergeant. He was proud of his career in the military and spoke often of stories from his time. During his military years it was known that BJ could cook with flavor. At one point he was called upon and given the opportunity to cook for Jimmy Carter, the current Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. BJ was awarded many classifications throughout his military career.

BJ took pride in his work and accomplishments. For 43 years he and Betty owned BJ Andrews Construction (Andrews Construction) Company. BJ was President of the Association of General Contractors for two terms. His most notable projects included approximately 15 churches, Walter Jacobs Park, several housing authorities, and multiple projects at Barksdale Air Force Base. When his son, Bill, was attending Southwood High School, BJ was President of the Booster Club where he coordinated with multiple contractors for the construction of the Southwood High School weight room.

His interests included hunting, fishing, working on the farm, raising cows, playing basketball, coaching, reading and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys. BJ was a master fisherman and avid hunter. Despite Betty’s thoughts, he would sometimes hunt from the upstairs balcony of their home. It was not uncommon for BJ to be found fishing in the evenings. He loved his ponds and found serenity sitting along the bank with a rod and reel in hand. The only thing more enjoyable was when he was accompanied by one of his children or grandchildren. He played basketball and softball until his mid-40s and loved the fellowship and camaraderie with fellow teammates. BJ took great pride in the family home, also known as “The Farm.” He loved his cows and over the many decades of farming, his favorite will always be, Big Mama, a beautiful red angus he had for many years. When his children were younger, BJ had a strong passion for coaching their sporting teams. He had a love for sports and against his entire family’s love of the New Orleans Saints, he remained a Dallas Cowboys fan.

BJ worked hard his entire life to succeed, but his ultimate goal was to take care of his family and be there for them. He provided for his family in every way that he could. He was there for his children and grandchildren, he was at every grandparent’s day event, school plays, ball games, birthdays, graduations, and births.

Services will be held on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport, Louisiana. Burial will follow at Forest Park West Cemetery. A visitation will be held prior to the service at 11:00 a.m. Officiating the service will be Brother Howard Hall.

Honoring BJ as pallbearers will be Coby Deville, Caden Bagley, Carter Andrews, Tommy Bison Jr., Jeremie DeVille, Jason Dobbins and Paul Clark. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be his many grandsons and great grandsons.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at The Glen in Shreveport, LA for taking great care of our patriarch and loving him.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to your favorite children’s charity.