William Estill Royse

William "Bill" E. Royse, Jr., 78, of Blairsville, passed away Monday, February 6, 2023, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.  Born November 27, 1944 in Maysville, KY, he was the son of the late William and Marjorie (Carpenter) Royse.  Bill was a proud veteran of the US Air Force and was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War.  He attended Morehead State University and spent his career as an electrical technician and analyst with Progress Energy.  He and his wife Marlene (Tamm) enjoyed a long and happy marriage of nearly 55 years.  He and his son, Tim, shared a special love of airplanes and took regular father/son trips to over 30 air shows and aviation museums.  He and his daughter, Stephanie, shared special father/daughter time during their weekly outings for Sunday morning breakfasts.  Throughout his life, Bill enjoyed designing and building N scale model train layouts and being a part of train shows and sharing his love of model trains with others.  He was an active member of the Valley River Model Railroad Club in Murphy, NC and helped design and build the train layout currently displayed in the Murphy caboose.  Bill was a member of House of Prayer in Blairsville and was active in the men's Bible study.  In addition, he was part of the local Joshua's Warrior group.  He is survived by his wife Marlene; his son, Timothy S. (Tina) of Dunellon, FL; daughter Stephanie J. (Gordy) Jorian of Ocoee, FL; brother Tracy (Cindy) of Flemingsburg, KY; and sister Juli Alderman of Covington, GA.  Visitation is Sunday, February 26 at 11:30 a.m., at House of Prayer, 1400 Pat Colwell Road, Blairsville, GA, with Celebration of Life services immediately following at 12 noon.  Interment service will be scheduled at a later time.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to House of Prayer Canal Lake Bible Camp.  Bill loved his family - he loved his country - and most of all, he loved his Lord.