Byron Diaz Adams

Byron Diaz Adams was born into this world on May 27, 1968, to his parents Hannah Mae Williams Adams and Ray H. Adams. After two previous attempts, God had finally blessed his parents with the most handsome, perfect bundle of joy. He was welcomed home by his older siblings, Veronica Anita and Michael Ray Darnell. Byron was a rather precocious little lad who spied on his brother and sister and gladly kept his parents apprised of their activities. His father reminded him quite frequently that “he brought him into this world and could take him out of it if needed”. Byron’s older sisters, Delores Powell, Norvia Remo and Phyllis Strawder, who were characters in their own rights, took pleasure in encouraging their baby brother in his antics. Byron’s wit and wisdom was passed along to him by his grandmother, Selena (Mama Lena) Williams Denny. Mama Lena and Byron shared many conversations as they ate samples of meat and cheese at the Hickory Farms Shoppe in the mall while waiting on Mrs. Adams to finish shopping. “Train up a child in the way he should go” is precisely what Byron’s parents did. He was baptized by the Reverend Dr. Aaron Thompson, Sr. at Bethlehem Baptist Church when he was five years old. According to Byron, Reverend Thompson held him under the water a little longer than the other kids. Over the years, that extra baptism time under water was evident of the Holy Spirit in Byron. He could discern when Tim added secular music chords into the hymns as he played the organ during his father’s sermons and for the choirs. Byron sang tenor in the Bethlehem Baptist Church Junior Choir AKA reigning champions of the Bogalusa City Wide Singing Convention under the management of Brother J.W. Brumfield. He attended and later taught Vacation Bible School, regularly went to Baptist Training Union and recited holiday speeches. He never had to worry about forgetting his holiday speeches because he carried a copy in his pocket and would just pull it out and read it if he forgot what to say. Byron understood making the vision plain long before T.D. Jakes or Pastor Creflo Dollar. He placed photos of a moped (a small type of gas- powered scooter) on the refrigerator, steering wheel his parents’ cars and inside the lid of the toilet seat for his parents to find. And guess what, he was one of the first to have a new moped from Lott & Sons in Bogalusa. Byron was not just handsome, he was creative, talented in the arts, and athletics. He wrote skits and dressed his younger cousins in his parents clothing and wigs and had them perform for the adults. He pretended to be Justin Wilson and made videos of himself cooking up Cajun meals that he “gar-on-teed” were delicious. With the help of Veronica, Byron arrived to his High School prom straight out of a Prince video with the curly “good: hair, purple lace gloves and a little eye liner. In sixth grade, he played offensive lineman under Coach Genie Butler. According to Byron, his mother wouldn’t let Michael play under Coach Butler, so he had to represent for the family. He played the drums in the 9th and 10th grade band. He said he chose the drums so that everyone could march to “his beat”. He would never march to anyone else’s. Byron went on to play for the Bogalusa Lumberjacks, and was voted Team Captain in 1985-86 and then named to the All-District Team. After graduating from Bogalusa High School, he earned a scholarship to the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana Lafayette). He later transferred to Southern University as a walk-on to the football team and took someone else’s scholarship to play for The Jaguars. He said he looked around him and decided another player with a scholarship wasn’t as fierce on the field as he. Byron graduated from Southern University with Bachelor’s Degree in Education in May 1991. Before the start of the 1991-92 NBA season, Magic Earvin Johnson announced that he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Shortly after Magic’s announcement, Byron called his high school and college sweetheart Dawn B. Smith and informed her that they were getting married because his days of being single were over. They married on Sunday, December 1, 1991, following the Bayou Classic in which Southern University defeated the Grambling Tigers 31-30 and sent the Tigers home crying. The union of Byron and Dawn produced his greatest contributions to this earth: four children, Kirstie Selena, Byron Diaz II, Matthew Alexander and Kaitlyn Ashleigh. Byron took pride in being a great father to his children. Like his father, Ray, Byron explained to his children that he brought them into this world, could take them out and produce another one that looked just like them. Byron and Dawn were best friends and have been married for 29 years. Byron took the lessons he learned from his grandparents, parents, siblings, and church/community leaders and used them to become a great man. He was committed to his relationship with God and faith in Christ Jesus. He was an ordained minister and founded Living Word Christian Center in Bogalusa. He helped others come to know God and taught them the word of God with tremendous fervor. While living in Bogalusa, he served on the Board of Directors of the Bogalusa Christian School. He taught GED preparation in the Youth Build Program for Louisiana Technical College and Washington Correctional Institution (WCI). Byron saw his mentees and inmates as brothers and sisters. He encouraged them to strive to see themselves beyond how the world tried to stigmatize them. One of his students from WCI received the Governor’s Student of the Year Award. Byron’s motto was “Don’t be Common”. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Byron relocated with his family to Snellville, GA. They joined World Changers Church International under the teachings of Pastors Creflo and Taffi Dollar. He held certifications in Middle Grades English, Science and Physical Education. Continuing his endeavor to give back to the community, he became employed with DeKalb County Public Schools at Bethune Middle School. For the latter five years of his life, he worked for Gwinnett County Public Schools at Discovery High School as the in-school suspension teacher. He coached football, served as yearbook co-advisor and volunteered himself and his family for extracurricular events. What do you need to remember about Byron? His love for others and ability to connect with everyone he met, old friends, new friends, family and social media friends. His infectious smile, unusual sense of humor and awkward dancing will be missed by many. He bridged any gaps that separated people and attempted to comfort, uplift and encourage others in becoming their best selves in any way that he could. He would say that “Southern University is better than Grambling University in everything. It is a disgrace that the Atlanta Falcons are in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints. Always shoot to kill! You are who you are, wherever you are!” He will be missed but we will see him again. Byron leaves the tasks of playing board games only if you cheat to win, telling outlandish stories and dancing the wrong way in line dances to his wife, Dawn B. Adams; children: Kirstie Adams, Byron Adams, II and Kaitlyn Adams; siblings: Veronica Adams Smith of Dallas, TX, Phyllis Strawder of Houston, TX and Michael (Brunetta) Adams of Baton Rouge, LA; aunts and uncles: Will (Veronica) Williams of Baton Rouge, LA, Dorothy Hall of Chicago, IL, Robert (Beverly) Williams of Detroit, MI, and Lydia (Steve) Roberson of Sacramento CA; special cousin Erica (Don) Brumfield of Bogalusa, LA; Godchild, Alyssa Quillen (Elton) Thomas of Snellville, GA; his in-laws: Eddie and Mary Smith of Lilburn, GA and Jerome Taylor of Bogalusa, LA; four brothers-in-law: Robert Smith, Sean Smith, Roderick Taylor and Tracey Bell; sisters-in-law: Sabrina Ford, Marie Lockett, Toyia Taylor, Amy Jackson and Yoki Alexander; the ninjas: Gary Campbell, Dwayne Kelly, James Kelly and Randy Manning and nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, classmates, coworkers and former students who will keep his memory going strong. Byron was welcomed into heaven by his son, Matthew Alexander Adams, his parents, Ray and Hannah Adams, sisters Norvia Remo and Delores Powell and grandparents, William Williams, Selena Harry Williams Denny and Oscar Denny. Celebration of Life Services for Byron Adams will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 3:00PM. These services will be recorded and streamed live. In the event the service is interrupted at any time due to technical issues, the entire service will be uploaded and available to view later in the day. Please copy and paste the link to share, or simply click on the link to view the service. https://vimeo.com/619007449

Tributes

Byron Diaz Adams

May 27, 1968 - September 20, 2021