John Donald "JD" Byers

John Donald “JD” Byers of Great Falls, Virginia died March 17, 2019 of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol. He was 28 years old. John spent much of his life overseas as part of a Foreign Service family that had served in Israel, Pakistan, South Korea and Ukraine, which made him a student of global affairs. He had great dreams for what he would accomplish using computer-human interactions and augmented reality to help people learn. At the time of his death, he was mapping plans to return to college to bolster his degree in business from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond with studies in imaging science and quantum computing. John had an insatiable curiosity about how the brain worked and read broadly on science, philosophy and leadership in the search for meaning, direction and peace in his life. John’s passion was ice hockey which he played growing up in South Korea and Ukraine as well as for teams in Reston, Ashburn, at Langley High School, and at VCU. He had an infectious smile and would light up any room he entered, sharing hugs with any and all. He loved the beach, fresh falling snow, “authentic” rap music, and Christmas lights all year long. He loved his family and his friends, and they loved him. He is missed by his parents, Brent and Theresa Byers, his sister, Catherine, his grandmother, a host of aunts, uncles and cousins, and Bogwon the dog. John will finally find peace in the arms of God.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers anyone wishing to honor John make a donation in his name at https://www.shatterproof.org/memorial/john-byers-4. Shatterproof is national non-profit organization that is leading a collaborative effort to align addiction treatment with effective, proven research.