Jeffrey David Byers of Brentwood, Tennessee

January 9, 2021

Dr. Jeffrey David Byers, 54, passed peacefully on January 9, 2021 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville due to hepatic angiosarcoma.

Jeff was born in Des Moines, Iowa on December 30, 1966 to loving parents, Sybil Kay Byers and the late David Edward Byers. He grew up in Tulsa, OK with his parents and two younger siblings, the late Brent Alan Byers, and Kristin Kay (Byers) Cole. He married his admiring wife, Janet Jobe Byers and was the father of four amazing children, Daniel Jeffrey (25), Jessica Lee (22), Stephen Neil (21) and Andrew David (19). His life passions were his faith in a loving God, his family, friends, music, sports and finding humor everywhere. He played golf, ran marathons and was notorious for quickly making puns in any situation. He was slow to anger, quick to forgive and gifted for seeing all sides of an issue or a person.

Jeff graduated from Rice University and from medical school at Duke. After an internship at Vanderbilt he completed the dermatology residency at Duke. He and Janet then returned to middle TN and Jeff cared for patients in a private practice in Dermatology until 2004, when he was recruited back to academics and the Vanderbilt Medical Group in Franklin. He was appointed Associate Professor of Dermatology at Vanderbilt, served as the interim chief of the Division of Dermatology, and was instrumental in the transition of the Division to a full Department in 2018. He became the Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs of the Department and Executive Medical Director of its clinical operation. Jeff was a consummate teacher and physician who enjoyed continually learning, generously teaching residents, and compassionately healing patients. He always showed grace upon grace in helping friends and family get the care they needed. He made everyone around him feel esteemed and cheered with his clever puns.

Jeff was a prodigious pianist. His gift of music was nurtured by his sole piano teacher, Janell Whitby, in Tulsa. He played in bands from high school into adulthood, including Mad Dog and the Hose Kings, The Executives and The Bat Surfers. He was the musical director and pianist for the Duke Med Student Faculty Show for four years and also arranged the orchestral parts for one of them, The Sound of Mucus. He was a volunteer keyboardist for Good Shepherd UMC as well as for the Awakening Band at Brentwood UMC. In 2003 Jeff produced an album, The Hour Has Come, of original Christian songs. He also published an arrangement of How Firm a Foundation for choir, organ, piano and trumpet. Throughout his life, Jeff generously shared his exquisite musical talent, along with deep respect for the classical and baroque composers, with an emphasis on joyful embellishment and creativity in his improvisations. He was known for personalized parodies, rousing Christmas caroling at parties and family jam sessions with his children and extended family, all while maintaining a classical repertoire at his disposal. Jeff nurtured this gift graciously and beautifully in his wife and children, who all grew in their love and appreciation of music and the joy of sharing it.

Jeff had an incomparable memory, whether for medicine, birthdays, sports trivia, band origins, life events, or the Bible. Since 1994, Jeff often served Duke Memorial UMC, Good Shepherd UMC and Brentwood UMC by teaching his adult Sunday school classes. His steel-trap mind, sense of humor and organized discussion made his classes both enlightening and fun.

Survived by wife Janet Jobe Byers, children Daniel Byers, Jessica Byers, Stephen Byers and Andrew Byers, mother Sybil Byers, sister Kristin Cole (Mike), sister-in-law Laurie Byers, along with 10 adoring nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by father David Edward Byers and brother Brent Alan Byers.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Harvest Hands CDC.

To donate, please go to https://www.harvesthandscdc.com/give