Mr ROGER "BYRD" DRAYTON

Funeral Services for Mr. Roger "Byrd" Drayton of Columbia, SC. will be held Saturday February 2, 2019 at 2pm at A. A. Dicks Funeral Home. Roger “Byrd” Drayton was born July 22, 1961 in Columbia SC to Jerome L. Drayton and the late Ora Bell Woods Drayton. After completing elementary school “Byrd “as he was affectionately known to his family, moved with his parents to Newark, New Jersey. Roger attended Weequahic High School of Newark, New Jersey, where he was full of excitement and his teachers encouraged him to enjoy learning because the time would past quickly. Byrd furthered his education by pursuing a Technical Engineering degree through evening classes at Seton Hall, an Ivory League College in South Orange, New Jersey. He was tutored by a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics. This year of tutelage served as a transitional phase in his life, thus preparing him for the next chapter of his life. This was a school year Byrd would never forget. At this point in Roger’s life, his parents returned to Columbia, SC. where he graduated from W. J. Kennan High School. He was still determined to soar like an eagle and enrolled in The Kenneth Schuler School of cosmetology. Mr. Drayton became a barber and self-taught guitar artist. He loved to play the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar. At other times, he assisted businessmen, carpenters, commercial and residential roofers repair homes and buildings in the Midlands. He was multi-talented. One of his proven hobbies was outdoor activities of which fishing was a major part. He was a master fisherman with powerful and impeccable skills on the water. Byrd’s choices of lures and tactics may not have saved the world but it would save you from going home empty-handed when bringing back a big mouthed bass and a bucket of fish! As a fisherman, his favorite seasons of the year were spring and fall when the air was cool and the colors were changing, when football watching had to take a back seat. He would tweet about good fishing spots. To him, it was better than him sitting and yelling while watching TV. Byrd rathered to be on the water as it was relaxing to him. He was preceded in death by his mother, Ora Bell Woods Drayton whom he loved dearly He leaves to cherish precious memories: his daughters, Shareeka Dreher, twins, Dayshonda and Daytrell Miller, Ja’Farlous Joyner, Ka’Man and Jaiyah Wider and his devoted father, Jerome (Ubee (Mimi) Drayton; two sisters Faye (Donald) Dixon and Marie Bolton; two brothers, Steve and Spencer Drayton; his longtime companion, Shonda Miller; Aunts Uncles and a host of other relative and friends.

Mr ROGER "BYRD" DRAYTON

July 22, 1961 - January 23, 2019