William Burrell Inman's Obituary
William Burrell Inman was born February 4, 1931, In Knoxville, Tennessee, and went to be with the Lord, on November 19, 2022, at the age of 91.
Billy worked with the Memphis Park Commission, Memphis city schools (Hollywood Junior High and Tresvant Jr. High) and a private school, Skyview Christian Academy.
Mr. Inman graduated from Messick high school in 1949 after which he served four years in the United States Navy during the Korean War. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University, Waco, Texas in 1960.
Billy Burrell taught math, PE, and Bible while coaching track and basketball. His teams were well known for winning in track, (state, championships) and winning seasons in basketball. He worked with inner-city students with the park commission that never believed in themselves and continued under his leadership to play winning seasons.
The most important thing in Billy Burrell life was not athletics but the Lord Jesus Christ. This encouraged his students to develop excellent character and win. He was noted for long-distance running and walking. Coach Imma As he was known, took junior high students on 50-mile hikes, with parental supervision, as well as special events.
Coach Inman was the first Memphian to run the 26 miles Boston marathon in 1974. As far as we know.
Mr. Inman never married, yet he considered his students and athletes as his children. He loved them all and they loved him. The long-standing friendships lasted many years, on his 90th birthday while in Texas with his little brother Don Inman, he received over 100 birthday cards with words of appreciation for his tremendous testimony and life example he lived out before e their eyes.
Bellevue Baptist Church was his home church where he was baptized at the age of 10 and re-dedicated his life at the age of 19 Christianity, sports and friends dominated his life. His greatest enjoyment came from walking, running, and reading, not to mention discussing each of the above at great length at any given chance.
Mr. Inman loved reading biographies of famous people and their successes. But his favorite biography was of Corrie Ten Boom who overcame insurmountable odds during the holocaust when she and her family hid the Jews in their home, the hiding place. They were subsequently taken into the concentration camp where Corrie survived but the rest of her family did not.
Billy Burrell Inman was preceded in death by his parents, Ruben Burrell 1898–1965, Agnes Louretta Biggs Inman 1906–1992, and older brother Ruben Eugene Inman 1927–2019. Billy is survived by younger brother Myron Don Inman born 1949, and his wife Kathy Simmons Inman born 1950, along with their four children (three nephews and one niece), nine great nieces and three great nephews, and great-great nephews and nieces.
The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, November 30 at 11:00 a.m. with a funeral service at 1:00 p.m. all in the Fireside Chapel of Memorial Park Funeral Home. Interment to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery
Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN, 38119. (901) 767-8930
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