Billy W. “Bill” Hensley

Billy W. “Bill” Hensley 1949-2010 A true Street Rodder Bill Hensley of Shelbyville Indiana died at his home March 1, 2010. Bill had been a car nut even before he had a driver’s license. He had owned and driven just about every type of vehicle from vets to drag cars but his favorite was always the Street Rods he had owned. No one really knew how many street rods Bill had built, helped build, bought or sold over the years but they do know he had on more than one occasion bought back rods he had sold. Bills favorite seem to be his beautiful orange 1932 Highboy roadster that he and his friend Mike Talbert built about ten years ago. At the time of his death he was in the process of rebuilding his 1967 Chevy Nova. Bill and his wife Charlotte, of forty one years, had lived his entire life in Shelbyville and worked as a machinist. He was an active member of the Shelby Shifters Car Club, one of the oldest in Indiana, for over thirty years. Bill was the Chairman of the Judging Committee at the Clubs annual Car Show and picked all of the specialty award winners himself. Bill had a real knowledge of cars and could rattle off the pedigree and owners of any car that had been around for a few years. Bill had attended hundreds of local and National car shows as a participant and was most fond of THE Nationals in Louisville, the Frog Follies, the Hot Rod Reunion and his Clubs annual Classic Car Show. Bill will be missed by the Street Rodding community, his many friends and family.