William R. Byars Jr.

1945 - 2019

William R. Byars, Jr. CAMDEN, SC - On Friday, November 8, 2019, the Honorable William R. (Bill) Byars, Jr., husband of Camille and father of three children, passed away at the age of 74. Bill was born on February 9, 1945 in Charleston, SC, to Robert and Emma (Weeks) Byars. He married Camille (Losse) on May 28, 1967. They raised three sons, Robert, Nathan, and Rees. After graduating from Louisiana State University in 1967, Bill served in the Vietnam War as a Military Intelligence Officer, earning a Bronze Star for his service. He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1972 and practiced law in Camden, SC, at the law firm of Savage, Royall, Kinard, Sheheen, & Byars for 17 years. During this time, he also served as the Kershaw County Attorney and was Chairman of the Kershaw County School Board. In 1989, Bill left private practice to accept an appointment as a Family Court Judge, retiring in 1999. He then served as Director of the Children's Law Office at the University of South Carolina. In 2003, Bill was appointed as Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) by Governor Mark Sanford. In 2011, Bill was appointed as Director of the Department of Corrections by Governor Nikki Haley. He retired in 2013 due to declining health. Throughout his career, Bill sought to help children in need. He spoke with passion and clarity on issues affecting children, and he leveraged this to transform the way others saw these issues. His speech, "Through the Eyes of the Child: a New Paradigm," became the mantra for a nationwide call for legislative reform of child welfare systems, culminating in 1998 in the Adoption and Safe Families Act, for which he was consulted by the White House. For his work on South Carolin child welfare reform, Governor David Beasley awarded Bill the Order of the Palmetto. Bill built a network of competent and like-minded reformers, and together they set about reforming the juvenile justice system through lower-cost, rehabilitation-focused programs, receiving bipartisan praise and recognition in SC media outlets. In 2016, Bill was honored by the state legislature and the governor with the passing of a bill renaming Section 24-19-5 of the SC Code of Laws to the Judge William R. Byars Youthful Offender Act. Bill was a life-long reader and scholar, and enjoyed playing strategy games and tending to his land and animals. He took great joy in being "Don Guille" to his friends in the Paso Fino world, where he rode his prized horse Cali to win the Paso Fino Grand National Championship. Bill could also be found riding his tractor for hours, where he did his "best thinking". As a young man, he created his own strategy game, complete with rules and maps, though in later years he mostly played games on a PS3. Bill and Camille's house was constantly strewn with whichever 20-odd books he was actively reading, studying, and annotating. Bill proudly chose the simple things: jeans and t-shirts, an old Toyota Corolla with zero bells and whistles, hanging with Black Dog on the front porch. Bill loved to tell long stories in the "Southern tradition", using real-life events to highlight a greater truth, and always with a punchline. And he smiled. A lot. Above all, Bill was a family man. Paramount in his heart among his family was his wife, Camille. Bill loved Camille deeply. She was his ballast, his confidant, his best friend. He was fond of claiming that he had "married up", and he took great pride in having her at his side. As a father, he was ever the loving, patient mentor to his sons. Bill rarely missed a soccer game or any other event, and he regularly made time to engage each of his sons intellectually and otherwise. Bill's humility, sense of humor, unwavering optimism, and his caring for others will forever be with us. Bill was predeceased by his father, Robert. He is survived by his mother, Emma, his wife Camille, his three sons, Robert (Valerie), Nathan (Amanda), and Rees (Kim), his sister Linda McKenzie (John), his brother Richard (Wendy), eight grandchildren, Caroline, Liam, Chloe, Jameson, Chase, Isabella, George, and Jack, and several cousins, nieces, and a nephew. A visitation service will be held on Friday, November 15th, 2019, from noon until 2PM, at the Robert Mills Courthouse, 607 Broad Street, Camden. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bill's name to the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, online at https://www.scfathersandfamilies.com/donate/. Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.kornegayfuneral.com