John Richard Byrd

BYRD, John Richard, 92, was born in High Springs, Florida in 1919 to the late Annie Palmore and Johnnie Richard Byrd. He leaves to cherish precious memories with his niece, Anne B. Bell, and her husband, Joe, and their children, Brittany, Briana, Bianka and Joe III; first cousin, Ceola Palmore Watkins of High Springs, FL; Ceola’s son, Clyde, and his wife, Noveta Watkins, of Atlanta, GA; cousins, Francis Palmore, and her children, Janis, Duane and Edward Palmore of High Springs, FL, Cecil and Ida Davies also of High Springs, FL. At the age of seven, his mother passed away and John moved to Tampa. He was raised by close family friends, Lizzie Locket and Rosa Bell Mitchell. At age fifteen, John left home to venture off on his own. In his early years he played baseball in the negro league with the Brooklyn Royal Giants. In John’s own quiet way he was a natural leader. He was an industrious and good business man. Perhaps it was because he built his business with a strong belief that “The future belongs to those who believe in beauty of their dreams.” He operated two bowling alleys in New York and later owned and operated, Taby Limousine Company in Brooklyn. John was a very patriotic and generous man. He sold the limousine business and retired from New York in 1986. Due to his passion for golf, he and his best friend, Bill Saunders later founded Par & Bogie Golf Club on November 30, 1988. He was kind, loving and always willing to help others. John especially loved organizing social events. He reached out to others; he would send cards for many occasions. Not a holiday or birthday went by without a card from “Johnnie”. There will be a memorial service on September 17, 2011, at Florida Mortuary at 11:00 am., with a repast to follow at Brenda Anderson’s home, 3017 E. Flora Street, Tampa, FL, 33610.