William Byers, 81, of Cross Roads

William J. “Bill” Byers, age 81, of the Cross Roads Community, left this life on Friday, September 29, 2023.  Bill was born to J.J. and Oma Bowden Byers on December 21, 1941, at their home in Hope.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, J.J. and Oma Byers, brothers and sister in law Daly Byers and wife Dorothy, Ray Byers, sisters and brother in laws Jeanette and Gene Allen, and Sue and Kenneth Willis, and the love of his life Carolyn Mullins Thornton.

He is survived by his brothers Johnny Byers and wife JoAnn of Midlothian, Texas, Jack Byers and wife Mary of Irving, Texas, Donald Byers and wife Rita of Hope, Arkansas. Sister Carolyn Braswell of Garland, Texas, and sister-in-law Mary Byers of Ovilla, Texas. Numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, and a host of family and friends.

Bill graduated from Guernsey High School in 1961.  He was in the Army National Guard for six years.  He was a poultry farmer and raised cattle.  Bill stayed at home with his mom and dad and helped his dad run the farm.  In 1977, Bill decided to start raising chickens.  He built 3 poultry houses and later added two more.  The farm was the favorite place for nieces and nephews. They loved to come see Uncle Bill.  He’d take them to see the cows and chickens, let them ride on the tractor, and he even taught some of them to drive.

Bill also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and skiing. He looked forward to going hunting in Colorado with his friends every fall.  He killed an elk in 1998, in Lake City, Colorado.  He went skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado and deep-sea fishing in Port Aransas, Texas.  He caught the second biggest fish.

Bill was a longtime member of New Hope Baptist Church.  He had a special place in the hearts of the children and teens in that church.  He was known as the gum man.  He always had several packages of gum in his shirt pocket which he gave to the kids after church.  Bill was also known for helping anyone who needed his help.

Bill was one of the founding members of the Cross Roads Volunteer Fire Department.  Bill served as fire chief for many years and helped get the current Cross Roads fire station built.  He continued to be a board member and supported the fire department even after he was no longer fire chief.  

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to New Hope Baptist Church, Cross Roads Volunteer Fire Department, or Shover Springs Cemetery.