William R. Lankford Jr.

William Roston Lankford, Jr of Springville, Alabama passed away on December 2, 2023 at the age of 88. A faithful husband to Adrienne Ray Lankford for 54 years and a proud father of William Roston Lankford III and Renee Lankford Pitts, Bill was admired and respected by many throughout his life.

Born to William Roston (Ross) Lankford and Kathryn Williams (Kat) Lankford, Bill grew up primarily in Springville, AL, where he attended local schools and First Baptist Church of Springville. He gave his life to Jesus Christ as a boy upon attending a local revival meeting and was baptized in a nearby creek. Bill grew up with an immense love of sports, primarily baseball as a youngster and later on becoming an accomplished basketball player and coach.

Anyone who knew Bill Lankford knew of his love for the game of basketball. From his beginning as a player at Springville High School and then at Howard College, (Samford University) he achieved many different awards for his outstanding scoring ability and leadership. At the time of his passing, he was ranked fifth on the all-time scoring list at Samford University.

Coach Lankford's influence on basketball players in the state of Alabama was profound. His coaching career spanned over 40 years and included coaching at Ashville High School, Springville High School, Hewitt-Trussville High School, Banks High School, Jefferson State Community College and Briarwood Christian School. In 1990 Bill was inducted into the Alabama Community College Conference Hall of Fame. In all of his years of coaching, he only received one technical foul, which speaks volumes of his self-control and respect for the game.

As much as Bill loved the game of basketball, his first priorities were his love for Jesus Christ, his wife and family, his church, his friends, and his players. He was a faithful member of Huffman Baptist Church for over 55 years, having served as a Sunday School teacher, deacon, choir member, and chaired various committees. He loved helping advance the cause of Christ as an active Gideon, and he loved our country, having served as a member of the National Guard as a young man. Bill could best be described as faithful to the Lord's calling and purposes for his life.

Bill is survived by his wife Adrienne, his son William Roston Lankford III (Ross) (Jeanna McIntire Lankford), his daughter, Renee Lankford Pitts (Brian Pitts) and his four grandchildren William Roston Lankford IV (Will), Bailey Suzanne Lankford, Cooper Aaron Pitts, and Owen Curtis Pitts, as well as several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life service will be Friday, December 8, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Huffman Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Visitation will be prior to the service beginning at 12:30 pm and a graveside service will be held at Jefferson Memorial Gardens Cemetery following the service.