William Byers

Rev. William Byers (often called "Bill" or "Brother Bill" by friends, family, and church members) went home to be with His Savior on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
Bill was born on April 2,1931 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He felt the Lord's call to be a pastor at age 12. At the age of 14 he started his own business, wallpapering and painting. While attending Johnstown Central High School, he directed the Cambria County Youth Council.
He graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC with a degree in English Bible in 1954. While attending college, he sang in the "Light of Life" quartet that traveled for the college. After traveling for the Grace Brethren Board of Evangelism, he became the assistant pastor at Kittanning Grace Brethren Church in Pennsylvania.
Bill was the senior pastor of the Patterson Memorial Grace Brethren Church in Hollins, Virginia for 10 years where he worked with church members to build a youth center to reach young people for Christ. After pastoring this church for a few years, he married his loving wife Betty (just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary) and also lead in the development of a new church building and the Bolling Conference Grounds / Camp Tuk-a-Way.
He was the founder and senior pastor of the Grace Brethren Church of Greater Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia and developed the Hidden Forest subdivision roads and engineered building several homes to be within walking distance of the church and school facility. He later became the Southeastern Director of the Grace Brethren Home Missions Council and traveled extensively nationwide to help Home Mission churches construct buildings and congregations and to provide counsel to the new pastors.
Bill was the founder and developer of Byers Financial Consultants (insurance sales) and of Church Communication Ministries selling communication telecomputers to churches in many states and some foreign countries. He taught seminars as a Church Growth Consultant showing his passion to help pastors know how to use the technology of the telecomputer to reach more souls for Christ and to communicate an encouraging devotional message or prayers requests to their church members on a weekly basis.
He led his family with family devotions with "Our Daily Bread" and the scripture reading of the day and encouraged Betty and his children to each pray for a different foreign missionary and home missionary every morning. He faithfully had his own "quiet time" with the Lord by reading God's Word each day with a daily devotional called Bible Pathways and encouraged many others to do the same in his discipleship opportunities.
Bill also enjoyed wonderful fellowship with many men at a men's prayer breakfast each Saturday faithfully praying for the needs of others, and he was fondly remembered for singing "Ring the Bells" every Christmas Eve at the Grace Church for many years.
Into his retirement years he continued to enjoy his greatest passion of looking for opportunities to share the gospel and pass out tracts as he told as many people as he could how they could accept Christ as their Savior to have eternal life in heaven and a personal relationship with Christ to follow God's path for their lives.
After moving to Canton, Georgia, Bill and Betty began attending Antioch Christian Church and were blessed greatly by Pastor May and the other staff and church members that have ministered to them so faithfully through the challenges of the later years of life.
All the way to the very last year of his life, he was well known for his heart-warming smile, big beautiful blue eyes, bright clothing, hats, compliments to others, kind, giving, and tender heart, thankfulness for those helping him, his love for singing the old hymns and praying before meals and for others (even nurses in the hospital few different times) as a testimony showing his love for Christ and others in these ways that he could to 93 years of age.
Bill was predeceased by his parents, Howard and Emma Byers, three sisters, Esther and husband Fred Plugh, Olivia and husband Warren Smith, Eleanor and husband Ed McConaghy, and four brothers, Maurice and wife Eileen Byers, Howard and wife Alene Byers, Lindy and wife Betty Byers, and Glenn and wife Dolores Byers.
He is survived by his wife Betty, son Leon and wife Jeanne Byers, and daughter Cheryl and husband Kevin Gault, 5 grandchildren, Kristen and husband Daniel Mills, Keenan and wife Katie Byers, Dillon Byers, Stephanie Gault, and Samuel Gault
A visitation will be held on Monday, December 9, 2024 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. at Lakeside Funeral Home, 121 Claremore Dr., Woodstock, GA, followed by a brief service at 1:30 p.m. in the chapel and entombment to follow.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. at Antioch Christian Church, 3595 Sugar Pike Road, Canton, GA with a meal afterward. Please RSVP to cherylgault@outlook.com, if you are able to join us for this meal.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Camp Tuk-a-Way https://www.camptukaway.com/give/