Frances Byars

Frances Carroll Putman Byars, age 91, went to be with her Savior on October 27, 2024.

She was born in the Pleasant Hill community of Calhoun City, Mississippi, to John Gus and Elvie Barton Putman on December 10, 1932. Frances graduated from Calhoun City High School, where she played basketball for all four years. In 1949, the team won the Mississippi State Championship, and Frances was named All-State Guard. She attended Hinds Junior College, where she was again named All-State Guard. Afterward, she played for the Mississippi State Board of Health. In 1998, she was inducted into the Hinds Community College Sports Hall of Fame. Frances earned a BS degree in Bacteriology and Chemistry from the Mississippi State College for Women and received her Registry in Medical Technology from Hendrik Memorial Hospital in Abilene, Texas. She worked in hospitals in Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, and spent the last 30 years at Vestavia Pediatric Clinic in Vestavia, Alabama. An avid bridge player, she enjoyed many hours at the card table.

Frances was a founding member of Green Valley Baptist Church, where she taught high school girls' Sunday School for many years. She also was member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, whee she also taught girls high school Sunday School, worked with the Home Bound Ministry, contributed to Wednesday Night Dinners, "sang" with the Jubilee Singers, and volunteered with Love in Action.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her three brothers and their wives: Dr. & Mrs. Billy H. Putman, Mr. & Mrs. James Gerald Putman, and Mr. & Mrs. Lewis Keith Putman. She is survived by her son John Randolph and wife Amy of Auburn, AL; daughter Donna Dianne and husband Terry Sides of Montevallo, Al; grandchildren Kathryn (Katie) Vee Byars, Amanda Grace Byars, and Matthew Alexander Sides; sister Glenda and husband Bobby Lantrip; and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Frances' life will be held at Currie-Jefferson Funeral Home, Highway 150 on Friday, November 1, 2024, at 11:00 AM. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.

Graveside service will take place in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Calhoun County, Mississippi, Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 10:00 AM.

Memorial contributions bay be made to the Salvation Army, St. Jude Children's Hospital, or Sav-A-Life of Vestavia.