Thomas Ellington Byars, 72, of Snowflake, surrounded by his wife and family, lost his 15-month battle with cancer on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, at Valley View Southern Baptist Church, 1212 S. Main St. in Snowflake. A graveside service with full military honors will be held at the Taylor Cemetery. He was born March 27, 1944, to James Thomas Byars and Wanda Lou Byars, who both preceded him in death. Tom was the eldest of three children, Patricia (Charles) Cox and LouElla “Pinky” Palmer, who joined her parents in Heaven on March 31, 2008. Survivors include his wife of 26 years, Sherry Ann Cosper Byars; four children, William Ellington (DiDi) Byars, Daniel Garret (Jolyn) Byars, Karen Michelle (Bobby) Brubaker and Kevin Lee (Mary) Byars; three stepchildren, Ronna Rachelle (Jon) Ness, Russell Ray Chambers and Reesa Robyn Ellsworth; 29 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren. Tom proudly served 25 years in the United States Air Force as a master sergeant with the 161st Air Refueling Group of the Arizona Air National Guard. He also served as a volunteer fire fighter for the Snowflake Fire Department and Little League coach for numerous years. He retired after 47-plus years with the Snowflake Paper Mill, and continued part-time driving a bus for the First Student/Snowflake School District. In addition to Tom’s love for his entire family, he was a Western enthusiast with an undying love for the Western lifestyle, especially “The Duke,” John Wayne, and had an extensive collection of John Wayne movies and paraphernalia. He loved Mexican foods, camping, fishing, horses, and raising and caring for show pigeons. Tom’s boots will be as hard to fill as The Duke’s himself. Funeral arrangements were handled by Silver Creek Mortuary of Taylor.
