John Edward Byrd, Sr.

Glover Funeral Home

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Posted by: Glover Funeral Home
[email protected]
334-699-3888
Date: Jan 31 2024 4:45 PM

John Edward Byrd, Sr. (Jay) died on the 30^th day of January 2024, with his family at his side. He was 90 years of age.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, February 2, 2024, at First United Methodist Church of Dothan with Dr. David R. Saliba officiating and Glover Funeral Home directing. A private family burial will be held at Memory Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends in the church parlor from 12:30 until 1:45 p.m., prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may made to, First United Methodist Church, 1380 W. Main Street, Dothan, AL 36301, or one’s favorite charity.

John was born in Moody Hospital in Dothan, Alabama on August 12, 1933, the son of Jimmie Lou Ellsworth Byrd and Otis Edwin Byrd. His family lived in Ozark and Ariton until he finished the second grade when they then moved to Dothan in 1941. He graduated from Dothan High School in 1951. John attended and graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) in March of 1955, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Social Fraternity while at Auburn. He later attended Jones Law School (now Faulkner University) in Montgomery, where he earned an L.L.B. Degree (now Juris Doctorate) in law in 1965. John was president of his graduating class at Jones Law School.

John was able to miss the Korean War by keeping his grades up at Auburn. He had to report to the draft board regularly to maintain his 1-D classification. John finished Auburn ahead of schedule, then after graduating from Auburn, he married Nagel Elizabeth Kirby on June 25, 1955. They had only been married for about two years when John was drafted into the U.S. Army. John applied for a technical school and was allowed to join the United States Air Force instead of the U.S. Army.

John had only been in the U.S. Air Force for a very short time when his father died unexpectedly. He was the oldest son and was called home to run his father’s substantial businesses and support his young wife, his mother, and his younger brother, who was still in school. Due to the efforts of Selden Bailey, a former U.S. Air Force officer, and Rex Roach of Geneva, Alabama, a General in the U.S. Army, John received a hardship case to allow him to serve the rest of his commitment to the U.S. Air Force in the Air National Guard in Dothan, with any remainder of his time to be served in the active reserves of the U.S.A.F., which he did.

John was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 1963, after 6 years of service and while running and expanding his father’s businesses in Dothan and other cities. When John took over his father’s businesses in 1957, his father had an office in Mobile, 4 retail offices in Dothan, a Re-discount company, and an insurance company also in Dothan. During the years from 1957, until John set his sights on practicing law, he expanded his father’s businesses, to include offices in Mobile, Brewton, Troy, Geneva, Enterprise, and Eufaula, along with 3 retail offices in Dothan. He tripled the size of the Re-discount company and consistently sold insurance.

John purchased a 2000-acre farm and operated one of, if not the largest cattle operation in Houston County in those days. During these years, John served as a District Director in the Bureau of Loans in the State Banking Department. He also was a re-organizer of the Exchange Club of Dothan, where he served as its second president. John also served for many years as a District Director of the Exchange Clubs of Alabama. During this period, he finished his military career and attended & graduated from law school.

In the late 1960s, through the early 1970’s he left his father’s businesses, carrying with him three companies that he owned himself. During this time, he sold one of the companies and liquidated the other two in preparation for practicing law. John was always thankful and appreciative of the managers, secretaries, and all employees he worked with during the period from 1955 to 1974 while carrying on his father’s businesses.

In 1975 after graduating from law school, John took the Alabama Bar Exam, passed it, and then started his law practice in April of 1975. For the next 40 years, John practiced law based in Houston County, but had cases as far as Hannibal, Missouri, and as far south as Orlando, Florida. He also had some cases in Georgia. During those 40 years, he tried cases in the Federal Courts for the Northern District of Alabama, the Southern District of Alabama, the 5^th & 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals, and one case in the Supreme Court of the United States. His basic authority was from the Supreme Court of Alabama. His home circuit was Houston and Henry Counties, but he tried cases in most counties in South and Central Alabama.

John served as a member of the Houston County Bar Association for many years, and served as its president during that time. John also served on the Board of Governors for the Trial Lawyers of Alabama, as well as many years as a member of the American Bar Association. John retired from the practice of law at the age of 80, after a successful career of 60 years. When he informally retired on October 31, 2013, he carried with him 6 cases which he finished by August 31, 2015, when he formally retired and gave up his license.

Preceding John in death were his infant son; parents; brother, James Otis Byrd; mother and father-in-law, Wylie & Onnie Kirby; beloved sister-in-law, Judy Johnson; and beloved brothers-in-law, Armstead Hayes, and Howard Johnson.

He has lived in retirement with his wonderful wife of 68 years Nagel Byrd; children, Stephanie Craft (Tony) of Montgomery, John Byrd, Jr. (Julia) of Dothan, and Andrea Battles (Tracy) of Dothan; grandchildren, Kirby Mitchell of Auburn, Davis Battles (Marlee) of Dothan, Hayes Battles (Loghan) of Echo, Ava Byrd of Dothan, and Lillen Byrd of Dothan; great-grandchildren, Olivia Mitchell of Auburn, Piper Battles, Kipton Battles, and Scottie Battles, all of Echo; and several special nieces and nephews.

Glover Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements. (334) 699-3888. Please sign the guestbook online at www.gloverfuneral.com

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