Hello Byer family, I am Xander Christy, I was one of Mr. Byer's students in 7th grade, at the time he had passed away. I may have only known him for a week, but I already knew that he was going to be, without a doubt, one of my favorite teachers. He was a fun and a layback, but hardworking teacher, that tried to get everybody along with each other. I remember my first class with him he made everyone say something fun that they had done over the summer, what their name was and one special trait about ourselves. Him watching everybody say something about themselves, I could tell, and just about everyone could tell, that he was actually enjoying, not just from a teacher standpoint, but from a good quality person stands point. Until the end of that school year, I would pray to him and his family for the best of luck. If I knew that I could have sent my condolences on this website sooner, I would have done it without a doubt. To sum it all up, Arleigh Byer, I all miss you and send my condolences to your family.

i waited so long to write something because i didn’t know what to write and honestly i still don’t. who would have thought that you’d be gone so soon:( you were the best language arts teacher any student could ask for. you related to us better than any teacher could and we deeply and truly appreciate you for being being the person you were. close to the end of the year i’d always say that i'd come back to visit and help out. i never got the chance but i’m just glad i had you as a mentor and friend. i never really came to you with my personal stuff but i knew you were always there if i needed to talk. it’s sad not seeing you here but i know you’re in a better place now. rest easy mr. byer, we’ll never forget you. 

To Pastor Andrea and Family
Andrea; words cannot express the loss you are facing but thank god you are a true woman of god. It is now that we have to hold on tight to our faith.
I wish for you continued strength and pray for peace and love as you heal from this broken heart.

Michelle 

Rev. Andrea:  I was very sorry to hear the tragic news.  Please know that you and your family are in my heart and prayers.  

Holly Holcombe

Our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Arleigh and his family and friends. May God give you all the support and peace you need. As colleagues ....we’re teachers too....in SBBC, he will be missed. God bless!!!🙏🏽💗

To the Byer Family 

Words cannot express how our heart ache for your loss.  Forever in our prayers.  May God strengthen  and comfort  you.

The Hartley-Wilson Family 

Arleigh, thank you for the memories we shared as kids. Thank you for being be so full of joy and light every time my mom and I came to hang out on Saturdays at Ms. Andrea’s house down the street. 

I remember the last time I saw Arleigh, he was so encouraging, and I was so happy to see him thriving with his plans and dreams to be accomplished ahead. May your soul Rest In Peace. The Lord has gained another special angel. 

I’ve known Arleigh since Crystal Lake days. During that time, we cracked jokes on each other... Never thought we’d become so close, but God has mysterious ways of showing us things. He & I got to know each other more while attending FAMU. During that time, we really needed each other. We were no longer “kids in our momma’s houses.” We were trying to make it out of FAMU, keep our rent paid, & bellies full! Haha. Arleigh always had my back. Always reminded me of my strength. I love him so much for his encouraging spirit. I remember he & I went to Islands of Adventure & Universal Studios one weekend. Keep in mind that I hate rollercoaster! Every time I’ve gotten on them in the past, I’ve closed my eyes during the whole ride. So, of course, the first ride that we got on was Hulk. Omg. Like, why?! The first time I got on that ride was in 8th grade & it didn’t go well for me then & I didn’t expect it to when we were in line. I was too scared & every time we scooted up, I got more & more anxious. We finally make it & we’re in the seats now. I start panicking. Arleigh said “Flo, you got this. Just breathe.” I said “I’m not gonna look.” He was like “nooo, you gotta keep your eyes open Flo.” Boom, rollercoaster takes off. He’s still talking to me telling me to keep my eyes open & I’m still panicking. He tells me to turn my head &... wow, we’re going super fast & my eyes are OPEN. I see everything. Meanwhile, I somehow freaked him out & now he has his eyes closed! Haha!Moral of the story is, Arleigh was a doer. He told me that he’d help me conquer my fear & every rollercoaster we had gotten on after Hulk was history. That guy was determined too! When he wanted it, he worked at it & he got it. I’m happy that I got a chance to spend time with such a brave and brilliant gentleman. I am honored to have an angel that left his mark on so many hearts. Arleigh had a good heart. God bless his family and friends. I pray that we all stay strong for Arleigh. I love you Arleigh ⭐️ LLABHII 🕊

Pastor
Our deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family. We are truly sorry for your loss. He may be gone but never forgotten he is sitting up above looking down and smiling 😚😚💐💐💐💐you are in our prayers. God bless...Melisha Kerriann Adrian and Lennox. We love you always😘😘

Arleigh - I have been thinking about the kid I met in elementary school so full of life so happy and knew the answer to every question I asked during that Sunday school lesson.  Your mannerism was impeccable, and it remained that way for your entire life! I am happy I told you how very proud I was of you for the man you had become.   I thank you for the love, joy, and laughter you brought to my life ; especially after my own son transitioned.  The hugs and genuine laughter that twinkled from your eyes! You always asked, " Mrs. G  how are you?   I am forever grateful and I promise as much as possible I will pay it forward. I love you , I miss you  May your soul rest in peace  and light perpetual shine  on you . 

Pastor Byer-Thomas & family,
May your hearts be quieted by the gentle peace of God,
strengthened by the promise of His care, and restful in the comfort of His Spirit.

With Sincere Sympathy.


Rev. Andrea and family,

My thoughts and prayers are with you in during this time.  While I didn't know Arleigh personally I could always see the pride and love you had for him when you would speak of him.  I wish I had a chance to know him.  Hold onto the memories you have.

If there is anything I can do, please let me know.  I'll continue to keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Andy and Margie

How can I start great man, son, sibling, friend and hard-worker. I remember the conversations, and great times we had from him, I, and friends going out and just being young. I lost a friend but gained the strongest angel ever. I can’t express the pain this has brought but I will never question God. Just keep us protected Arleigh and I love you bro forever.

Dear Andrea and family, words will seem meaningless, but I want you to know  my heart ache for you and family during this time of loss.  However ,trust  Jesus when he said he will not leave you comfortless and that he will come to you.  Just as he is holding Arleigh,  he is also holding  all of you. So rest in His presence  and be strengthened  for the days ahead. You and family are in my prayers. 

Arleigh Byer was my favorite teacher and I had only known him for 2 weeks and I had already knew how much of a good person he was. One of the phrases he would always say in class is "I'm not a jerk" because we would ask him could we get water or could we eat he would say no at first and then say but I'm not a jerk so yes. When we were having a bad day he would always light our day up. My prayers go out to him and his family and he will always be in my heart.

No amount of words can express the Pain you are going through.  Pastor Andrea I’m sending you love and prayers and hope that you can find strength during this dark time.


 "As we go through life, losses are inevitable. Death, divorce, other separations may occur. To rebound from the pain and separation, we need the faith that life's blessings of the past will be renewed and experienced in even greater depth. When we go through the painful and fearsome Valley of the Shadow of Death and loss, we get back a deepened and enlarged capacity for life, for flexibility, for gratitude, for sensitivity and for trust". (Pesach Krauss)
Pastor Andrea, you and family are in our thoughts and prayers. Arleigh was a precious gift from God to you. Now he is taken away. God grant you sustenance as you follow in his light.

Please accept my deepest sympathies. I know words cannot take away the pain, but I offer up my prayers of peace and comfort to you Andrea. Arleigh’s life will always be an incredible gift from God to you. Dance in Heaven Arleigh!!!

I would like to send prayers and love to Pastor Andrea and her family at this time... A memory that I have of him is when he was in the Christmas plays. He spoke in a country accent, which made the play hilarious. God bless all that has had the chance to be in his presence. 

I first came to know Arleigh at Ely in the band, he became a brother to me and also one of my closest friends. He was an amazing soul and was always there for me ! Even when we both went to tally for college we never lost touch. Anything i needed he would be the first person i called and Vice Versa. I’ll miss him so much! Rest in Paradise Bro.

Many years ago, Arleigh and I met at Crystal Lake Middle School! He was hilarious and so fun to be around. Him and I use to crack jokes and annoy each other every day. We eventually starting texting each other and I would use up all my minutes on my mini track phone just to keep talking to him lol. He was my friend and he was genuine. I liked Arleigh so much but never told him!!! Until I saw him at Ely the first week of my freshman year and told him how I felt and was happy to know he felt the same. 
The song Happy In Love will always remind me of you Arleigh, thank you for bringing joy in my life, sleep in Peace ❤️🙏 


Our family is deeply saddened by the passing of Arleigh . We’ll always remember Arleigh  fondly and feel lucky that we had the pleasure of knowing  and watching him grow up. He will be truly  missed.

My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this time of grief.  May the memories of Arleigh give you peace and comfort.

I met Arleigh my Sophomore year @ Ely, although we went to the same middle school and eventually the same college. Due to our similarities, We immediately became great friends. He always enjoyed a good laugh and would somehow project that energy on to anyone that he met. I know you flashing that smile up in Heaven. Happy birthday bro, until we meet again!

This was a tough loss for me. I met Arleigh in Tallahassee while working at Winn Dixie. And the bond we had was memorable we came really close friends and he was like a brother to me. We also went to FAMU together, we stay giving each other advice on life, careers and much more. It breaks my heart to know that he’s gone, we recently talked on visiting each other and meeting up and I wish I made the move sooner. I send my condolences to his family. Love you arleigh Rest In Peace 🙏🏾😞

My favorite memory was when I sent him a few of my beats and we sat in class after school and he gave me his honest opinion on them. “I like your beats”, he said . “But this one. I love this one for sure.” And from there he would help me and motivate me to keep going at it. So every beat I do will be for him . 

Arleigh Byer  was my brother, my friend, my mechanic, and my  motivator. Arleigh was the exact opposite of me when we first met. He was very out spoken, intellectual, and ambitious. I owe a lot to him. He has played a huge part in helping me become who I am today, and I appreciate that. Arleigh has blessed so many people with his presence and brotherly actions. 

Thank you Arleigh for being the light you were in our lives, I love you bro. You will missed


With prayers and sympathy, KaDarius Gardner

Mr.Byer was my 8th grade teacher last year, and he was one of the best language arts teacher I could have. When it came to the beginning of the year we were chill but had some complications, but when we both got over each other we became student and teacher, and somewhat friends. Mr.Byer has taught me so much more than what I’ve learned with most teachers because he wasn’t just a ordinary teacher that would have their ordinary life, Mr.Byer was just like us in many ways. He can be funny, he can be like us (childish like us)(that’s not a bad thing). Mr.Byer was a unique teacher that would show us that we can be whatever we want to be. Mr.Byer was like a role model to me, and not just me, and he will always be missed. He will be missed as a teacher as a friend and as a role model. Mr.Byer will always be a memorable teacher and a memorable person. Rest In Peace Mr Arleigh Byer 

I had so many memories with Arleigh Byer , or as I called him , Mr. Byer. I was a student of his and I have too many memories to write down with him, but my favorite memory with him is when he told me about all of the music he liked one day and how similar our music we listen to was alike. Mr. Byer was an incredible teacher and mentor for everyone and it’s terrible he had to pass the way he did. Rest In Peace Arleigh Byer. 

Mr.Byer was a teacher I got super close to. I’ve never been close to my teachers before. He was someone I could talk about with my problems. 

What made me laugh about him is he always commented when me or Karen looked mad and we’d always reply “it’s my face.” 

I will never forget him

As a fellow Northeast High School Class of 2013 classmate it was an honor to know Arleigh while going through high school. I am constantly flooded with memories of him deciding to gauge his ears, to him driving, to his low but warm laugh, to his parking lot rants of why Kanye West was still an amazing artist and worth supporting even after he clearly went off the deep end after his mother passed,  down to classic convos on sneakers.

I am so proud of the man he became after high school. Knowing he graduated from a prestigious HBCU and went on to positively effect the lives of so many children just makes me proud to know that I was able to indulge in a piece of a remarkable life. 

Rest Well Arleigh. 

Mr Byer was my favorite teacher in 8th grade. I remember when I went in class with 5-6 other students to do makeup work we talked about different things from his favorite rapper, to what he used to do in high school, and his ambitions after teaching. I always viewed Mr Byer as a brother rather than a teacher because he would give brotherly advice and was available to talk whenever I needed to talk to him, even after school ended I texted him and let him know how much he taught me and how much I appreciated him. It’s still unbelievable and heart breaking that he’s gone. I hope you are enjoying heaven right now Mr Byer. God bless and my condolences out to your family.  

OBITUARY

Arleigh Hartfield Byer II

August 30, 1995 – August 24, 2019

Bailey Memorial

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