Raymond Douglas Byrd, 75, passed away on January 29, 2021 while surrounded by his loving family. His passing was due to complications caused by COVID pneumonia.

A celebration of Raymond’s life will be held on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 11 A.M. at Madisonville Funeral Home in Madisonville, Texas, followed by his burial at Allphin Cemetery in Midway, Texas.

Raymond was born on October 18, 1945, to Roy and Lena Byrd of Flynn, Texas. He was the youngest of three boys. He was baptized at the First Baptist Church of Flynn, Texas as a child and grew up in a loving Christian home. He graduated from Normangee High School.

In the winter of 1964, Raymond met Kay Parker at a gas station in Flynn, Texas. It was a local hang out at the time. Kay was fourteen. Raymond was nineteen. In Kay’s words… she walked in with a friend and saw Raymond standing by a heater with a black leather jacket on, his black hair combed back, and the dimple… and she turned to mush. Four years later, they married and moved to Houston, where they raised their two children, Dana and Brian.

Raymond spent his career working as a Quality Control Inspector in the oil industry. He worked numerous jobs in and around Houston and various parts of the US, including a few months in Alaska. He enjoyed working in towns with casinos… he swore he didn’t lose… much.

Raymond was a simple man. He enjoyed farming, raising cattle, acquired an interest in gardening and enjoyed watching football games on TV. He loved going to the rodeo in Houston and attended often just to watch the horse show. He lived by the handshake agreement. It was as solid as any contract you could ever put in place. He liked his baked potatoes with butter only. He could fix anything… he might break it two or three times first, but it would be fixed when he was done. He loved old cars and watched Counting Cars on TV as he enjoyed the renovation process of making something old new again. He dreamed to have an old car to sport around town and had envisioned renovating one himself. He loved people and never met a stranger. He could find something in common with everyone to start a conversation. When you became his friend, you were a friend for life. He remembered names, where he met people, and stories shared from years ago as if they just happened last week. He wore his heart on his sleeve. He would cry when someone did something nice for him. He never felt he deserved it; although, he spent his life doing for others. You would see him tear up from time to time just watching someone else experience joy. Raymond had a memory like a steel trap. He remembered minute details about his life. He had a great sense of humor and laughed with his whole body… a trait you will see in two of his nephews. And his smile… everyone knows that smile.

Raymond was a family man. His family, both immediate and extended, meant the world to him. He loved family reunions on both his side of the family and Kay’s. Family was family… it did not matter the blood line. He enjoyed working the farms with his son and nephews and was so excited that his grandsons had taken an interest in learning about the farm and gardening. There was so much he had planned to teach them. He enjoyed watching his grandson’s play sports, particularly baseball.

Raymond was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Lena Byrd, his brother, Roy Dean Byrd, and parent-in-laws, Ceburn and Bonnie Parker.

Raymond is survived by his wife, Kay Parker Byrd; daughter, Dana Byrd Whitmire (husband, Wayne Whitmire) and son, Brian Byrd, as well as grandchildren, Hudson and Grayson Whitmire. He is also survived by his brother, Marvin Daniel Byrd, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Pallbearers: Brian Byrd, Floyd Byrd, Wayne Byrd, Wayne Whitmire, Joe Parker, Justin Parker, Hudson Whitmire, Grayson Whitmire

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations to Normangee FFA Activity, In Memory of Raymond Byrd, P.O. Box 219, Normangee, Texas 77871.

Final arrangements were under the direction of Madisonville Funeral Home, Madisonville, Texas. www.madisonvillefunerlahome.com