BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
At 2 p.m. March 20, the City of Wetumpka and Wetumpka Pride will honor and remember late Wetumpka Police Chief Danny Billingsley.
The city is celebrating Arbor Day and will be planting a tree his memory.
It will take place at the Wetumpka Police Department, located at 4950 N. US Hwy. 231.
Chief Billingsley’s 44 years in law enforcement earned him admiration and respect. In that time he worked for the Montgomery Police Department, Alabama Office of the Attorney General and in Wetumpka as a law enforcement officer.
However, it was also his service to mankind that garnered him much praise. He was passionate about helping those in need, be it physical or spiritual. He had devoted his life to leading mission trips all over the world, building churches, Bible schools and orphanages. He founded Iron Men Outdoor Ministries, gathered Christmas gifts for needy children, fed the elderly, sheltered the homeless and helped sponsor trips for ill children to rodeos, fishing and races at Talladega.
A point of pride for Billingsley was the former Wetumpka Police Department, before it was destroyed by a tornado. The basement of the structure had been turned into a shelter for those in need. He also encouraged regular free meals for those in need at the police department.
Once a nursing facility, the former department building was remodeled thanks to a lot of volunteer work and meant much more to the community than cold, sterile walls.
Billingsley was 68 at the time of his death on May 16, 2018.
For more information, go to www.cityofwetumpka.com or call 334.567.5147.
