Charles Byars
Born: July 31st, 1939
Died: March 21st, 2016
Obituary
Charles "Jim" Byars, 76, of Burlington, died at 5:40 AM Monday, March 21, 2016, at the Great River Hospice House in West Burlington.
Born July 31, 1939, in Blackstock, SC, he was the son of Curtis N. and Lillie Elizabeth Moore Byars Sr. On December 16, 1961, he married Leona M. Becker at the Alameda Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA.
Jim worked for I.A.A.P. for 25 years as a millwright. He owned and operated Jim's Lock & Safe which he founded in 1977.
He graduated from Chester High School in Chester, SC.
He was a U.S. Navy Veteran, serving in Naval Aviation on the U.S.S. Ranger and other aircraft carriers.
He was a member of First Presbyterian Church. He was a 32nd degree Mason being a member of the Des Moines Lodge #1, Malta Lodge #318, and Patriot Lodge #650; the York Rite bodies: Iowa chapter #1, Zerubbabel Council #22, St. Omer Commandary #15; as well as Scottish Rite. He was a member of Elks #84, VFW Post 10102, Moose Lodge #579 and Shriners.
He was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and NASCAR. He was an avid gardener and enjoyed spending his time tinkering with antique gas engines, attending Old Threshers, hunting, fishing, attending auctions, feeding the birds, and outsmarting the squirrels.
Survivors include his wife, Leona; two daughters, Susan Mullins of Burlington and Michelle (Mark) Richards of Danville; one son, Mike Byars of Burlington; five grandchildren, Candice Mullins, Brooke Byars, Curtis Richards, Trent Richards, and Miranda Richards; three great-grandchildren, Abbigail, Jacob, and Holly; one brother, Elmer Byars of Lake Havasu City, AZ; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, two sisters, and one stillborn son.
Visitation will be from noon until 7:00 PM with the family to receive friends following a 5:00 PM Masonic Memorial Service Friday, March 25, 2016, at Prugh~Thielen Funeral Home & Crematory.
The funeral service for Mr. Byars will be 10:00 AM Saturday, March 26, 2016, at First Presbyterian Church with Reverend Debra L. Kinney officiating and full military honors rendered by the Burlington Area Veterans Honor Guard. Burial will be in Aspen Grove Cemetery. A time of food and fellowship will be at First Presbyterian Church following the burial.
Memorials have been established for Shriners Hospital, Christian Education at the First Presbyterian Church, and for a Tradesman Scholarship at Southeastern Community College.