Lela Byers

Lela Burgess Byers died Wednesday, January 11, 2006, at Haywood Regional Medical Center. She was a native of Woodruff, South Carolina and had lived in Haywood County most of her life. She was the daughter of the late Lewis and Lela Riddle Burgess. She was preceded in death by her husband Francis McClain "Mack" Byers, Jr., who died in 1996. Mrs. Byers was a graduate of Mars Hill College and Emory University Hospital School of Nursing. From 1944 to 1954, she was a private duty nurse, industrial nurse, and hospital relief nurse at Haywood County Hospital and taught home nursing classes for the American Red Cross. From 1955 to 1968, Mrs. Byers worked as kindergarten teacher and director of the First Baptist Church Kindergarten in Canton. She also served for three years as Elementary Director for the First Baptist Church. From 1970 to 1976, Mrs. Byers worked for the Opportunity Corporation of Madison-Buncombe Counties as Headstart Classroom Teacher/Teacher in Charge of Day Care Center; Nurse and Social Services Director; Home Based Teacher in Madison County; Coordinator of Home Based Teachers in Madison and Buncombe Counties, and taught demonstration classes with children for Asheville Child Development Program in a three-state training program for Headstart workers. Mrs. Byers was a member of the American National Red Cross Nursing Service, a member of the North Carolina Kindergarten Association (N.C.K.A.) where she served as president from 1962 - 1963, vice-president from 1961 - 1962 and executive board duties for several years; member of North Carolina Association for Children Under Six (NoCaACUS) and a NoCaAcus Charter Member 1967; Executive committee duties 1966- 1967; a member of Southern Association on Children Under Six (SACUS) and a SACUS NC State Representative from 1965 - 1967; a member of Asheville-Buncombe Kindergarten Association (ABKA) and ABKA president from 1964 - 1965 and she served on Governor's Advocacy Commission on Children and Youth She is survived by a daughter, Sharon Byers Conner and her husband, Scott Conner of Asheville; two sons, Francis McClain "Mike" Byers, III and his wife, Deborah Byers of Canton and David Edward Byers and his wife, Carole Rogers Byers of Monroe, GA.; seven grandchildren, Major Heidi Clark-Sutton and her husband, Major Kevin Lane Sutton; David Nelson King, Curtis McClain Byers and his wife, Jalene Byers, Jodi Lee Molinari and her husband, Randy Molinari, Brian David Byers and his wife, Elaine Tabol Byers, Heather Byers Watkins and her husband, Michael Watkins, Sergeant Jason McClain Byers and his wife, Carolyn Shaw Byers; nine great-grandchildren, Lauren and Leah Sutton; Chelsea Renee Byers, Dustin, Hunter, and Sawyer Byers, Sydney and Riley Watkins and Cameron McClain Byers. Memorial services will be private. The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. Saturday, January 14, 2006, at Wells Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Canton. Memorials may be made to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, 1600 North Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 or to a charity of ones choice.

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