TOOMSUBA, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Friends and fellow firefighters remembered longtime Toomsuba community leader William “Billy” Barrett on Thursday as a pioneer whose work changed the fire service far beyond Lauderdale County.
Barrett, 86, died Saturday at his home surrounded by family. His funeral was held Thursday morning at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home in Meridian, followed by interment at Toomsuba Cemetery.
Before the service, firefighters who worked alongside Barrett reflected on a life they said was defined by service, determination and generosity.
“Today, we are laying to rest one of the pioneers of the fire service,” Toomsuba Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Sheffield said. “He actually started Toomsuba Fire Department back in the ’60s.”
Barrett was a founding member of the Toomsuba Volunteer Fire Department and later served as its chief for more than 25 years. But fellow firefighters say one of his most significant contributions began when he challenged the assumption that rural communities without fire hydrants could not substantially improve their fire insurance ratings.
Lauderdale County Fire Coordinator Allan Dover said Barrett developed a water shuttle system capable of transporting large quantities of water to areas without hydrants.
According to Dover, insurance companies agreed that if firefighters could move 30,000 gallons of water during a demonstration, communities could qualify for an improved rating. Barrett and the department exceeded that mark, moving nearly 40,000 gallons.
“This water shuttle was invented, developed, practiced, right here in Lauderdale County out at Toomsuba Fire Department, and it is now in all 50 states in the United States, and they even use a shuttle in Europe,” Dover said.
Sheffield said the system helped improve the area’s insurance rating from a Class 10 to a Class 8.
Assistant Chief Jay Pierce said the effects could be felt directly in residents’ wallets.
“The whole state of Mississippi owes him a debt of gratitude,” Pierce said. “When you go from a Class 9 to a Class 8, you’re looking at saving over $1,000 on your insurance.”
Barrett’s community service extended beyond firefighting. He served as president of the Toomsuba Water Association Board until his death and, Sheffield said, helped secure grants that developed the Toomsuba water system.
Barrett also owned and operated Travla Restaurant and Gift Shop for 42 years.
Those who knew him said his accomplishments only tell part of his story.
Pierce, who joined the Toomsuba Volunteer Fire Department at 17 and later worked with Barrett at the water system for 20 years, described Barrett as both a best friend and father figure.
“He was selfless,” Pierce said. “People would have a hard time paying their water bill, or they would have a hard time making it, and he always stepped up and helped everybody that he could.”
Pierce said that same generosity could be found at Travla, where Barrett allowed people struggling financially to maintain charge accounts and pay when they were able.
Sheffield recalled experiencing Barrett’s generosity himself. When Sheffield was in business and unable to obtain a charge account, he said Barrett quietly intervened without telling him.
“One morning I received a phone call. They told me to come by the office,” Sheffield recalled. When he arrived, Sheffield said he learned he had been approved because Barrett had personally vouched for him and promised to cover the bill if Sheffield could not.
“He was just a valuable asset to the community,” Sheffield said. “If you told him he couldn’t do something, that gave him more power to prove to you that he could.”
Barrett continued responding to emergency calls even as his mobility declined, Dover said.
“We literally had to put him in the truck, put him on the truck and get him off the truck,” Dover said. “That’s how much his dedication was to the fire service.”
Assistant Chief Shelby Alphin said Barrett also made a difference for a younger generation of firefighters. Alphin met Barrett when she joined the department in 2012 and said he encouraged her as a woman entering a field still largely dominated by men.
“He held me to the same standard that he would anyone else,” Alphin said.
She said Barrett’s influence could be felt throughout Toomsuba, from the fire department and water system to the businesses and families he helped over the years.
“He’s a pillar of the community in Toomsuba,” Alphin said. “The community is really going to mourn him. We’re going to miss him. We’re going to miss his guidance.”
Barrett is survived by his wife of 61 years, Velma Barrett; his children, Michael Barrett and Paula Barrett; five grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and other extended family members.
For the firefighters gathering Thursday to say goodbye, Barrett’s legacy was both institutional and deeply personal.
“They just don’t make them like Mr. Billy anymore,” Alphin said.
