A celebration of life for Jay Byers will be held on Friday, his family has announced. The Simpson College president and past president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership died unexpectedly on April 17. He was 54.

The celebration of life will be at 10:30 a.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Jay Byers Memorial Fund at desmoinesfoundation.org/JayByers, which will be used by the family to support causes Jay loved.

Byers’ family today shared his obituary, saying he leaves a legacy of “service, vision and commitment” to Greater Des Moines and Iowa.”

“Jay was born on September 28, 1970, in Cherokee, Iowa, son of Robert and Joyce Byers. He attended Meriden-Cleghorn schools through his sophomore year, and, after the family moved, finished high school in Manson, graduating in 1989. Jay continued his education at Simpson College in Indianola, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1993. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1996.

“Jay’s greatest accomplishment was convincing Katherine Miller, who he met in law school, to accept his proposal, and they were united in marriage in 1998. Jay and Katie became parents to Sophie in 2001 and Charlotte in 2004. Jay was deeply proud of his Iowa roots and dedicated his professional life to strengthening the state and communities he called home.”

Byers “deeply valued friendships, believed in the power of kindness, and brought people together,” the obituary read.

“Jay was always thinking a few steps ahead of others, and he knew how to move pieces to create opportunities for the people and communities he cared about. Jay had a way of showing up everywhere – events, social media, early morning coffees, late night socials. He did so because he believed in being there for moments that matter. And he really cared.

“Jay lived his life with gusto and purpose, always striving to create a better future for others. But this passion took a toll on his personal well-being, and recently he experienced mental health struggles that eclipsed his typical positive, problem-solving personality.”

The full obituary is available to read online.