Service of Remembrance for Daryol "Tex" Byers, 73, of Reeder, ND will be Monday, March 13, 2006 at 10:30 a.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Reeder, ND. Rev. Ilo Madden will officiate and burial will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery in Reeder. Visitations will be from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, March 12 at the Church in Reeder and one hour prior to the service on Monday morning. A gathering of family and friends will be at 7:00 p.m. Sunday evening, also at the Church.


Daryol "Tex" Byers was the third child born to Benton and Margaret (Henderson) Byers on May 21st, 1932, at Petrel, ND. He attended school in Bucyrus and Reeder, graduating from Reeder High School in 1950. Tex played football and basketball in high school, reputedly having scored three touchdowns in three minutes in one memorable game (or so he told his kids)! Tex drove school bus, worked at Clifford Solseth's dairy, was a maintenance worker for the construction of Pactola Dam in the Black Hills, and was employed by Knife River Coal Company. Having farmed with his dad for many years, Tex always missed the seeding and harvesting seasons after he left farming to go into the blacksmith business with Glenn Gordon in 1958.


Food wasn't the only thing Tex took home from the Knotty Pine Drive-in. A cute car hop caught his eye, and he and Beverly Ellingson were married on May 23rd, 1959. They welcomed three children in the next three years. In 1966, Tex bought out his business partner and the Southwest Machine was born. At its peak in the mid 1970's, Southwest Machine employed 12 people. He sold and installed countless truck boxes and hoists and built stock trailers to individual specifications. Always the inventor, Tex could fabricate or fix just about anything. He spent many sleepless nights engineering a solution to customers' dilemmas. The entire family was involved in the business at one time or another, with Bev keeping books (and the peace) until they retired in October, 1990. By then, the family business had secured a college degree for each of Tex and Bev's three kids.


A strong opinion, common sense, and an ever present sense of humor made Tex an obvious choice for a variety of community positions, including Mayor, President of the School Board, President of Prairie Pioneers, Trustee and Moderator for Reeder's United Church of Christ, and Treasurer of the TOPS club. He also held offices in the Dakota Territory Collector's Car Club and the North Dakota Metal Worker's Association, of which he is a lifetime member.


The life of the party, Tex loved to dance, play cards, and tell jokes. He and Bev won the Reeder Halloween costume contest three times; his rooster imitiation is legendary! Tex also won numerous awards for his antique car restorations. Camping and fishing were favorite pastimes for many years. Tex loved working in his yard and garden, with many friends and family members reaping the benefits of his bountiful harvests. After putting down his welding torch, Tex took up the computer and spent many happy hours e-mailing friends and family and playing his favorite game, "Eight Off".


Tex was much beloved by his three grandsons. He always took the time to fly kites, play games, or "kick some tires" with them. He taught them all to drive on a variety of mowers, tractors, or the "Byers Buggy". He shared his wisdom and wit generously with them.


Tex died suddenly on March 9th, 2006 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger, ND.

Left to mourn are Bev, Tex's devoted wife of 46 years, daughter Jacki and Randy Schoenrock, Rapid City, SD; sons Jon and Charmaine Byers, Bismarck, ND, and Jeff Byers, Reeder, ND; grandsons Zachary Byers, and Levi & Sawyer Schoenrock; sisters Margie & Bob Frandsen, Reeder, Kaye Grubbs, Upton, WY, sister-in-law LaVaughan Austad, Hettinger; mother-in-law, Flora Ellingson, Reeder; brother-in-law Phillip and Sharon Ellingson, Prairie City, SD; sisters-in-law Judy & Joe Materna, Reeder; Cleo & Darwin Huiner, Hettinger; Kathy Ellingson & Zack Jones, Reeder; and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Preceding him in death were his parents, B.W. and Marge Byers, brother William Byers, sister Marilyn "Skeeter" Grosulak, and father-in-law, Elvin Ellingson.


Tex was a truely unforgettable character. Like a pebble tossed into a pond, the legacy of his life ripples forward, and he lives on through those who loved him.