William "Bill" Byrd Day

Bill was born on September 7, 1943, in Gadsden, AL. and died December 27, 2025 in Auburn, AL. He is preceded in death by his parents Margaret Mayo Day and Andrew C. Day, his brother-in-law, William Thacker and his nephew Kevin Thacker.  He is survived by sister, Josephine Thacker, niece, Cindi Thacker, nephew, Ralph Thacker (Janet), great nephew, Trace Thacker, special cousins Tommy Bopp (Marilyn), Susan Babington (Richard), and Sara Wright and many other cousins. 

Bill was a gifted mathematician who attended and taught at Auburn University.  He also attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on a full scholarship. He retired from Auburn University and became emeritus in 1997.  Below is the citation from the AU Bulletin:

Day, William B., Associate Professor Emeritus, 1997, PhD MS BEE Rensselaer (Computer Science and Software Engineering)

After retirement, Bill did not slow down. From the mid 80's to the mid 90's he worked at RADC, aka Rome Lab, with the software engineers on AI programs. Bill also worked with NASA and played a key role concerning an unknown vibration in one of the first prototype Space Shuttle rocket engines.

Bill loved to teach and even taught math on United States Navy ships. He was a volunteer police officer with the Auburn Police Department from 1996 to 2006 taking no pay and using his own finances to send himself to the Alabama Police Academy.

Bill trained in jiu jitsu and made many friends on the mats. He traveled extensively around the country on his Harley motorcycle.

Bill was a lover of the arts, especially ballet and was a patron and supporter of an innovative ballet company, BalletCollective, a New York–based non-profit arts collective that connects artists, composers, and choreographers to create new, ballet-based works.

Bill Day lived an incredibly full life. He traveled extensively and made friends wherever he went. He was a very kind and thoughtful man who will be missed dearly.