PORT GIBSON — Joe Turner Bilbro, 78, of Carlisle, passed away at Briar Hill Rehabilitation Center Jan. 30, 2015.

He was born Dec. 10, 1936, in Leesburg, and was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar Henry and Ruth Holmes Bilbro; siblings, Oscar Darvil Bilbro, Grace Bilbro Church and Mary Bilbro Joyner; and many other friends.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Katherine Anne McCaleb Bilbro; children, Laura Bilbro Connor (Robert) and Joe McCaleb Bilbro (Nora); grandchildren, Robert Charles Connor III, McCaleb Liam Connor, Colleen Louisa Connor, Grace Helen Bilbro and Katherine Tierney Bilbro, and nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, and memories, laughs and stories.

He graduated from Pisgah High School and Mississippi State University. Most recently, he was overjoyed to see MSU rise to the top of the college football polls.

He got his Mississippi real estate license in 1966 and worked as a real estate and insurance agent. In his younger years, he worked in films and as a longshoreman in California and as a farmer. He served in the Air National Guard. He was a member of St. James Episcopal Church, where he served as senior warden.

He served as president of the Farm and Land Institute of Mississippi, president of the MSU Alumni Chapter of Claiborne County, and on the boards of Mosswood Country Club, the Port Gibson Lions Club, the Claiborne County Chamber of Commerce, and the Claiborne County Port Commission.

A memorial service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in Port Gibson Feb. 21, 2015, at 11a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in his memory be made to St. James Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 494, Port Gibson, MS, 39150.