Obituary of Kelly Copeland Byrd

Kelly Byrd, age 61, of Fort Walton Beach, FL, passed away unexpectedly and way too soon on November 16, 2023. 

Kelly was born in Pensacola, FL, on June 27, 1962, to Royce and Betty Byrd.  Kelly married Tammy Whitehorn, the love of his life, on January 19, 1989, in Shalimar, FL; they would have celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in January 2024.

Kelly was an accomplished musician, starting to learn to play the guitar from his big brother John when he was only 12 years old, and he never looked back! Kelly loved entertaining folks all across the United States. He played at weddings, birthday parties, and private parties. For the past 30 years, Kelly played every weekend at the Boathouse Oyster Bar in Destin, FL. 

When not playing music, Kelly was a painter by trade, always willing to help out friends and family. Over the past few years, Kelly enjoyed playing golf, always up for a challenge.

Kelly is survived by brother, John Byrd & wife, Gail; sister, Renee Byrd; sister, Michelle Morgan & husband, Tom; 7 nieces & nephews and 17 great nieces and nephews. 

Kelly is also survived by his wife and best friend, Tammy Whitehorn, as well as his in laws, Richard and Joyce Smith; brother-in-law, Bruce Whitehorn and wife, Kim; Bruce's son, Bradley Whitehorn, and too many friends to list.

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Boathouse Oyster Bar in Destin at a later date. 

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