Sharon Vanessa Byrd, a beloved daughter, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away on Friday, May 9, 2025. She was born on November 20, 1956, the daughter of Mary and Herman Byrd Sr.
Sharon graduated from Lafayette High School. She worked for seventeen years at Kmart and later became a server at Consulate Healthcare of Williamsburg, bringing kindness and care to all she served. She retired to care for her youngest grandchild, Amari, a role she embraced with joy and unwavering love.
She was loved by everyone who met her. Her smile was contagious, lighting up every room she entered. She became a nanny to all of her friends and anyone lucky enough to cross her path. She always opened her home to anyone in need, as well as gave whatever she had, even when she didn’t have much.
She had a fiery spirit and a readiness for any natural disaster; you could always count on her to be prepared. She deeply loved nature, nurturing her plants, animals, and dancing barefoot in the dirt to old-school jams, especially anything by Luther Vandross. These were her moments of pure joy. She truly loved “snuks snuks” (Amari) and her four girls with all her heart.
Fearless and resilient, Sharon was the backbone of the family. Her strength carried and her love held everyone together. She always found a way until her very last breath.
Sharon’s personality and character were truly one of a kind. Though she is no longer with us, she will forever live on in our hearts, in our stories, and in every memory we hold dear.
She leaves to cherish her precious memories with her children, Barbara “Candy” Pressey, Shatara Byrd, Tateanna Byrd, and DeAsia Byrd; grandchildren, Omar Pressey, Horace Redcross, Lydell Pressey, Eric Pressey, and Amari Tynes; great-grandchldren; siblings, Teresa Loudon (James), Herman Byrd Jr., and Pervis Byrd; extended family Joyce and Douglas Wright; and a host of nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends.
A funeral service to celebrate her life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 16, 2025, at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, with a viewing beginning at noon. Interment will take place in Cedar Grove Cemetery at a later date.
