Riley Montgomery Byrd III

Riley Montgomery Byrd III, 57, of Topeka, passed away on Thursday, February 15, 2006, at his home. He was born in Topeka, Kan., on August 17, 1948, the son of the late Rev. Riley M. Byrd, Jr., and Retha-Vaughn Byrd. He attended the Topeka Public Schools, and was a 1968 graduate of Highland Park High School He did custodial work and secretarial work for a local nursing home for several years. He was a member of El Shaddai COGIC Ministries, where he belonged to the Order of David Man-Up, El Shaddai Recovery Ministries and Bible Study. He loved to keep the house of God clean. He would faithfully sweep, and cleaned the church fellowship hall between the 8 a.m. service and 11 a.m. service. Mr. Byrd was a past organist and pianist for Faith Temple COGIC, East Hill COGIC, St. Paul COGIC, East Eighth Street Baptist, Friendship Baptist Evangelist David Thurman and other religious groups. He also taught several musicians in Topeka to play piano and organ. He is preceded in death by his father, the late Rev. Riley M. Byrd, Jr. Survivors include his mother Retha-Vaughn Byrd, Topeka; five brothers, Bishop Charles L. Byrd, Bishop Virgil E. Byrd, James L. Byrd, Clemmie R. Byrd, all of Topeka, and Bishop Maxey C. Byrd, of Racine, Wisc.; six sisters, Evangelist Rosetta M. West, Elizabeth A. Grissom, Beverly J. Byrd, Teresa A. Summerville, Vernoica J. Byrd and Melodene G. Byrd, all of Topeka; 41 nieces and nephews, 33 great nieces and nephews and a host of relatives and friends. Funeral service: 1 p.m. Tuesday at El Shaddai Ministries. He will lie in state after 4 p.m. Monday at Bowser-Johnson Funeral Chapel, where the family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Interment at Mount Hope Cemetery.