Kevin Dean Billiau went to his heavenly home on February 23, 2024, at the age of 64 due to complications following open heart surgery at the Fred & Lena Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids, MI. Born on December 8, 1959, in Royal Oak, MI, Kevin was the second of three brothers. His family lived in several locations in Michigan during his childhood, but most of his formative years were spent in Whitehall. During this time, Kevin was dedicated to Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Later in life, Kevin was also among the 400 Eagle scouts that honored President Gerald R. Ford during his funeral ceremony in Grand Rapids. Kevin graduated from Whitehall High School (1978) and Ferris State University (1983).

After graduating from college, Kevin worked as a computer programmer in Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Grand Rapids where his motto was "work smarter, not harder." Though his day job was computer programming, his true passion was umpiring fastpitch softball. In his 40+ year career, Kevin umpired at all levels of fastpitch softball: men's and women's youth, amateur, high school, college, and professional softball. Kevin's proudest achievements as an on-field umpire include his USA Softball Elite Umpire Status (2011), his induction into the National Indicator Fraternity (1997), and his induction into the USA Softball of Michigan Hall of Fame (2017).

In addition to his contributions on the field, Kevin committed his life to developing and mentoring other umpires and promoting the game of softball. Kevin was a key member of the District 7 Umpires Association which serves softball umpires in the Greater Grand Rapids Area. Kevin worked tirelessly to develop young umpires, sharing his knowledge with countless others and providing opportunities for them to advance in the ranks. Kevin also served as a steward of the game in his capacity as an umpire assignor, umpire-in-chief, and tournament director, perhaps most notably as the director of the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida.

Kevin and Ruth Ann Nap were married in 1989. In 1999 and 2003, Kevin and Ruth traveled to South Korea where they adopted their two children, Seth and Jordyn Billiau. With the family complete, Kevin quit his job as a computer programmer and became a full-time dad. Kevin attended countless sports games, theater productions, speech tournaments, choir concerts, and graduations as the kids grew up.

Above all, Kevin committed his life to Jesus. Kevin and his family have also been members of Sunshine Community Church for the past 20 years. Kevin was a deacon at Sunshine and participated in many church activities including Men's Bible Study and several small groups. His favorite Bible verse was Joshua 1:9.

Kevin was preceded in death by his father, Dean Billiau and his mother, Gwen Billiau. He is survived by his wife Ruth Billiau, his son Seth Billiau, and his daughter Jordyn Billiau. He is also survived by his brothers Steve Billiau (Sue) and Doug Billiau (Dawn), sister-in-law Mary Hottovy (Mike), brother-in-law Alan Nap (Sandy), and several nieces and nephews.

Kevin's family would like to thank Dr. Jorgelina de Sanctis, Dr. Matthew Gale, Dr. Tomasz Timek, and the rest of Kevin's care teams at the Butterworth Hospital, Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion, and the Meijer Heart Center. Words cannot express our gratitude for the excellent level of care that Kevin received throughout his life.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Zaagman Memorial Chapel, 2800 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. The family will welcome guests one hour prior to the start of the service and during a luncheon from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Heart Association, Grand Rapids Christian Schools, or another cause that is meaningful to you.