Joseph Francis Byrne, loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away peacefully on May 24, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee at age 63 with his family by his side.
Joe, most recently of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was born in San Diego, California on February 4, 1958 to Francis Xavier and Martha "Marty" Byrnes. Joe spent his life devoted to his family and his passions: music, since his early childhood, and coaching youth sports, later in life. A singer-songwriter and live performer, he entertained crowds in Irish pubs for over 25 years in both San Diego and Nashville. He felt privileged to coach youth baseball and basketball and mentor young people for many years. Coaching is something he enjoyed immensely. Professionally, in addition to performing music, Joe was a healthcare and IT technical recruiter.
Joe was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension in 2016 and spent the last five years of his life focused on waking up to seeing and experiencing his tomorrow, singing at his children's weddings, teasing his wife, Betsy, and rubbing the cheeks of his grandchildren. He spent his last week with Betsy, his children, his grandchildren and his sisters - singing, joking, watching the Padres, reading Irish poetry, saying goodbye, and smiling.
Joe is survived by his wife, Betsy; daughters, Joslyn (Justin) Snyder, Ciara (Channing) Grillo; sons, Kealan (Sanya Kennedy) Santistevan-Byrnes and Conor Byrne; sisters, Eileen Byrnes, Mary Jane (Jim) Chleboun, Rosaleen Byrnes, Catherine Byrnes and Patricia Chase; grandchildren, Eliot Channing, Scarlet Baylee and Bailey George. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Services will be held at 3:00 PM Saturday, June 12, 2021. Visitation with family will be one hour prior to the service at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, Franklin, TN, 615 794-2289, williamsonmemorial.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joe's name to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (phassociation.org).
Joe's love for his family, his mischievous sense of humor, his sparkling eyes, the music he loved, and the music he made will be remembered always. Go Padres!
Visitation Details
Saturday, June 12th, 2021 2:00pm - 3:00pm, Williamson Memorial Funeral Home
Service Information
Saturday, June 12th, 2021 3:00pm, Williamson Memorial Funeral Home