Funeral services for Sgt. Major William E. Hyatt will be held August 25, 2015 at 10:00 at South Bossier Baptist Church located at 1155 Sligo Rd. Bossier City, Louisiana. Officiating his service will be Pastor Chris Young, along with special music by vocalist Angela Tejada. Graveside service with full military honors will be conducted at the Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Keithville immediately following the funeral service. In his honor, the procession will be lead by the Patriot Guard Riders of Louisiana. Sgt. Major Hyatt passed away August 12, 2015 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center following a brief illness. He was 73 years old. William Eugene "Gene" Hyatt was born March 5, 1942 in Jackson County, North Carolina. He attended Swain County High School where he received his high school diploma. In 1960, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Army. During that time he held various positions including dental assistant, EMT, and Military Police. He received countless awards and medals; Army Commendation, Army Achievement, Humanitarian Service Medal and the Legion of Merit Award, just to name a few. In 1973, he graduated from Baptist Christian College with a Bachelor Degree in Science. After obtaining his degree, he remained an active duty member of the armed forces. In 1991, he served one mission during Desert Storm and was stationed at Ft. Hood in Texas. He made the military his career, retiring in 1992 as Sgt. Major. After retiring from the Army, he worked as a school teacher as well as a basketball coach, but most importantly he served as a mentor to those who knew him. During his lifetime, he made lots of friends and never had an enemy. He was a traveler. He loved the mountains back home in North Carolina where he grew up and visited them every summer. He frequented Arkansas to dig for diamonds because he was indeed going to find the biggest one. He lived day to day, not thinking about tomorrow, but focusing on the present. Some have said he was a "legend" and what a legacy he left behind. He was "that guy", everyone's best friend, a hunting and golfing buddy to some and a coffee date to others. He loved telling stories, and no matter how fabricated they were, you believed it because it was Gene's story and it was HIS truth. There was only one Gene Hyatt and we were so blessed to have him for as long as we did. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him would agree. Awaiting his arrival were his parents Edward and Molly Hyatt, grandparents Roxie and Jess Williamson and Dixon and Ethel Hyatt, brother Paul Hyatt, and two daughters Kimberly Hyatt and Stephanie Hyatt Taylor. Left to cherish his memory are his siblings Barbara Ogle and husband Bob, Linda Hyatt, and brother Clyde Hyatt. His children Eddie Hyatt and wife Tonya, Geoffrey Hyatt, and Tiffany Hyatt Douglas and husband Jamie. Immediate grandchildren Haley, Cammy, and Eddie Hyatt, Jr (papaws lil man,) Kasey Adams Smith, Collin Hyatt, Caylon and Austin Gardner, Faith Douglas, and Megan, Drake and Nathan Taylor. He had step children and step grandchildren whom he spoke of frequently even reconnecting with them prior to his passing. People truly loved him no matter the circumstances. He had numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews that are also bearing the loss of this great man everyone knew as Gene! We, the family, would like to personally thank the vascular team as well as the ICU nursing staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the exceptional care that was given to our beloved daddy, papaw, brother, uncle, and friend. A very special "thank you" to Dr. Patrick Henson who was readily available to answer any and all questions we had, remained optimistic, never tarnished and brought a ray of sunshine into the room every time he entered. Derrick Smith with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, THANK YOU! Without your guidance and help we would have been lost. God placed you in our path at just the right time. To the Patriot Guard Riders for stepping up and wanting to lead our daddy to his final resting place, words can't express our gratitude. In conclusion, few people knew that our daddy wrote poetry and love songs. His best friend Ed Franks would vouch for that. Our daddy had a way with words, knew just what to say at the right time, and always said "it'll be alright!" So the next poem you read or love song you hear, our daddy may whisper in your ear "hey I wrote that" and guess what? You will believe it because after all, it was HIS story.