Russellville, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and, most of all, the Fuqua family lost a devoted leader and beloved patriarch when Judge William Gray Fuqua died peacefully on July 30, 2026, at age 95. Known affectionately within his family as "Daddy Bill," he was admired for his leadership, diplomacy and generosity, and loved for his kindness and gentle demeanor.
He was born November 4, 1930, in Russellville, the son of the late James Taylor Fuqua and Jeannette Donnelly Fuqua. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by Marcia Randall Fuqua, his beloved wife of 66 years, and his brothers-in-law, Doug Shoulders, Walter Randall and Roy Sone.
Judge Fuqua graduated from Russellville High School in 1948. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1952, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. In 1955 he graduated from the University of Louisville College of Law. He then served in the U.S. Army for three years, including two years in southern France as a special agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps, after completing training at the Army Intelligence School and Army Language School.
The Fuquas returned home to Russellville in 1959, where he established a private law practice and served for ten years as Russellville City Attorney. In 1969, he was elected to serve as the Circuit Judge for the 7th Judicial Circuit, and he served the citizens of Logan and Todd Counties in that position with integrity, wisdom, and dedication for 25 years. He established a legacy as a fair, compassionate, and respected jurist. His distinguished service to Kentucky’s legal system culminated in his appointment by Gov. Brereton Jones to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky in 1995. His service on the Supreme Court of Kentucky was a capstone to a career spent furthering justice, integrity, and fairness across the Commonwealth.
Beyond the courtroom, Judge Fuqua was widely known for civic leadership centered on economic development, particularly industrial recruitment. A past president and longtime member of the Russellville-Logan County Chamber of Commerce board of directors, he chaired the Chamber’s Industrial Development Committee from 1968 to 1989. Several Russellville industries, including Carpenter Co., were recruited during his leadership. His crowning economic-development achievement was helping persuade what became Logan Aluminum to choose a site in northern Logan County-an announcement Gov. John Y. Brown Jr. called "the biggest economic development announcement of my administration." In recognition of his enduring impact, the Chamber honored Judge Fuqua with the Logan Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
His service earned recognition throughout Kentucky and across the South. He received Volunteer of the Year honors from the 16-state Southern Industrial Development Association and the Kentucky Industrial Development Council. He was twice named Citizen of the Year by the News-Democrat & Leader and received the University of Louisville Law School Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1991. In 2024, he was inducted into the Russellville High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
Judge Fuqua also served on the executive board of the Audubon Council of the Boy Scouts of America and as its vice president. He was awarded the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor the Boy Scouts of America can bestow upon a volunteer. He was instrumental in bringing the Wildcat Hollow scout camp and lake site to Logan County. He was a former co-chairman of the Logan County Tobacco Festival and a former member and vice chairman of the Logan County Hospital Board of Trustees. He also helped advance the development of a modern hospital for Logan County and the four-laning of U.S. 68-80 through the county.
He served for three decades on the board of Southern Deposit Bank, was a charter member of the Logan County Economic Development Commission and advised the Russellville-Logan County Airport Board. He also served on the boards of Commonwealth Health Corporation and the Russellville Electric Plant Board.
A charter member of the Leadership Kentucky board of directors, he served on that board for four years. He was also the longest-tenured member of the Russellville Rotary Club and a former club president.
Judge Fuqua was a lifelong member of the Russellville United Methodist Temple and a 60-year member of the XV Literary Club. For many years, he joined WRUS Radio's Thursday "Feedback" program as a host, sharing his knowledge of and affection for the community he had served for so long.
Above all, Daddy Bill was devoted to his family. He loved his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren dearly and took an intense and genuine interest in every aspect of their lives. His grandchildren will especially remember the long, rhyming jokes and stories he delighted in telling them, including the adventures of the “Piddling Pup” and “Archibald Barasole.” Blessed with an extraordinary memory, he could recall in remarkable detail his classmates and experiences at Washington and Lee University and the joyful years he and Marcia spent living in France even decades later.
Judge William G. Fuqua is survived by his daughters, Renee (Patrick) Kilgore of Bowling Green and Anne Taylor (Kemper) Harr of Amelia Island, Florida; his son, Randall Gray (Allison) Fuqua of Prosperity, South Carolina; his sister, Peggy Shoulders of Florida; his grandchildren, Harrison Gray Kilgore, William Bassett (Amanda) Kilgore, William Ellis (Sirid) Harr, Abigail Hobson Harr, Caroline Mills Fuqua (Joe) Owens and Sarah Randall Fuqua; and his great-grandchildren, Sarah Sutton Owens, Mills Hollingsworth Owens, Charlotte Jane Kilgore, Caroline Gray Kilgore and Elizabeth Ruth (Betty) Kilgore.
The visitation and memorial service for Judge William G. Fuqua will be held on Friday, August 14, 2026, at the Russellville United Methodist Temple, 395 S Main Street, Russellville, KY 42276. Visitation will be from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The memorial service will follow at 2:00 p.m. A private burial will be held at Maple Grove Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Russellville United Methodist Temple, 395 S Main Street, Russellville, KY 42276; The Logan County Public Library, PO Box 357, Russellville, KY 42276; or Concerned Citizens of Logan County, PO Box 1351, Russellville, KY 42276. Summers and Son Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.