TALLULAH — Funeral services for Mr. Billy Ray Arender, age 80, of Tallulah, will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at First Baptist Church in Tallulah. The Rev. John Rushing will officiate. Interment will follow at Beulah Cemetery in the Beulah community near Oak Grove, La.

Services are under the direction of Cox Funeral Home of Oak Grove, La.

Mr. Arender died Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010, at the Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe, La.

He was a 70-year veteran of agribusiness and received the Lifetime Agriculture Achievement Award for Madison Parish in 2006.

He was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Jill Whitaker; his father, Homer Simpson Arender; his mother, Mary Ella Myers Arender; brother, James Howard Arender; and four sisters, Ulma Clement, Irene Piper, Mattie Dee Williamson and Myrtis Williams.

He is survived by his wife, LaShara Arender of Tallulah; son, Shea Arender of Jackson; daughter and son-in-law, Cynthia and Maurice Machen of Tallulah; daughter and son-in-law, Tammi Arender-Herring and Craig Herring of Baton Rouge; stepson and his wife, Byron and Kathy Barrett of Jackson; stepson and his wife, Chad and Jonnita Barrett of Clinton; stepson, Dr. Stan Wilkins of Plain Dealing, La.; brother and sister-in-law, Donald Wayne and Juaraline Arender of Tallulah; sister and brother-in-law, Shirley and Gilbert Baker of Wiggins; 12 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Dalton Fortenberry, Sam Hill, Ronnie Kennedy, John Hopkins, Malcolm Bishop, Donald Collins, Wayne Hopkins and Johnny Cooper.

Honorary pallbearers are Charlie Hopkins, Herbert Jones, Kenneth Richmond and Pete Norris.

Family will receive friends from 6 until 8 tonight at First Baptist Church in Tallulah.