Felix O. Byrd Jr.

Services for Felix Byrd, Jr., 96, of Tyler will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Stewart Family Funeral Home in Tyler with Rev. Paul Diepenbruck officiating. Interment will follow at Rose Lawn Cemetery in Tyler. Visitation is scheduled prior to service from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Mr. Byrd passed away Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Tyler. He was born October 1, 1929, in Pilot Point, Texas to Lottie Nelson and Felix Byrd Sr. Felix was a member of Poynor Baptist Church. He graduated from Haskell High School and was employed at Southwestern Bell and AT&T. Felix had a smile that would light up a room. Most would say he was the life of the party. He had a love for the lake, fishing, traveling, and sports. Felix Byrd served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1947 to 1951 and in the reserve until 1954. Upon serving his country, he received a China Service Medal. He served in Korea from August 1950 to June 1951. He served during the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of November and December 1950, in far Northeast North Korea in temperatures of 30 degrees below zero. This was one of the three most meritorious battles in Marine history. He was an active member of the North Texas Chapter of the Chosin Few, a Veterans organization of survivors of the Chosin Reservoir Campaign. Felix was preceded in death by his parents, Felix Byrd, Sr. and Lottie Nelson Byrd; sons-in-law, Scotty Morris and Michael Sheffield; and great-granddaughter, Kelsey Cowley. He is survived by his loving family including his wife of 73 years, Elaine Faye Byrd; daughters, Diane White and husband Todd, Cindy Sheffield, Debbie Westbrook and husband Wayne, Paula Waggy and husband Jerry; 9 grandchildren, Misty Lively, Matthew Dillard, Candace Johnson, Justin Westbrook, Jerad Waggy, Cody Dillard, Joshua Waggy, Ashley Sanders, and Danielle Cunningham; 22 great-grandchildren, Katlynn Hoover, Kaden and Kaleb Riley, Brianna Hanna, Angelina Dillard, Avery and Samuel Johnson, Aiden and Emma Westbrook, Jacob, Isabelle and Priya Waggy, Selina, Bailey, Nolan and Micah Dillard, Kylie and Kylah Waggy, Layton and Lawson Sanders, Andrew Cunningham and Ella Grace; and 1 great-great-grandchild, Brantley. Pallbearers will be Matthew Dillard, Jerad Waggy, Justin Westbrook, Cody Dillard, Joshua Waggy, and Blayne Sanders.

Felix O. Byrd Jr.

October 1, 1929 - April 16, 2026