Husband to Melanie and Father to 16 children. Most of them adopted with Special Needs.
12 of them where adopted with developmental disabilities.
He and his wife lost their lives from a home-invasion.
All the children were safe.
The couple owned several local businesses, including a finance company and a used car dealership.
In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.
"It just happened," Melanie Byrd told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."
The funeral service for the couple on Friday(July 17) drew hundreds of mourners to Pensacola's Liberty Church.
At a graveside service later at Pensacola Memorial Cemetery, church pastor Buford Lipscomb read from a letter that one of the Billingses' daughters, Missy, had written, referring to her parents and her own newborn son.
"We will tell him how the world wept with the injustice that took you from us," the letter said.
Several of the couple's younger children released balloons with messages attached.
"Words do not express the pain they feel in their hearts or great loss of this incredible couple," Lipscomb said of the family. "They loved their children beyond anything else."
12 of them where adopted with developmental disabilities.
He and his wife lost their lives from a home-invasion.
All the children were safe.
The couple owned several local businesses, including a finance company and a used car dealership.
In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.
"It just happened," Melanie Byrd told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."
The funeral service for the couple on Friday(July 17) drew hundreds of mourners to Pensacola's Liberty Church.
At a graveside service later at Pensacola Memorial Cemetery, church pastor Buford Lipscomb read from a letter that one of the Billingses' daughters, Missy, had written, referring to her parents and her own newborn son.
"We will tell him how the world wept with the injustice that took you from us," the letter said.
Several of the couple's younger children released balloons with messages attached.
"Words do not express the pain they feel in their hearts or great loss of this incredible couple," Lipscomb said of the family. "They loved their children beyond anything else."
Husband to Melanie and Father to 16 children. Most of them adopted with Special Needs.
12 of them where adopted with developmental disabilities.
He and his wife lost their lives from a home-invasion.
All the children were safe.
The couple owned several local businesses, including a finance company and a used car dealership.
In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.
"It just happened," Melanie Byrd told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."
The funeral service for the couple on Friday(July 17) drew hundreds of mourners to Pensacola's Liberty Church.
At a graveside service later at Pensacola Memorial Cemetery, church pastor Buford Lipscomb read from a letter that one of the Billingses' daughters, Missy, had written, referring to her parents and her own newborn son.
"We will tell him how the world wept with the injustice that took you from us," the letter said.
Several of the couple's younger children released balloons with messages attached.
"Words do not express the pain they feel in their hearts or great loss of this incredible couple," Lipscomb said of the family. "They loved their children beyond anything else."
12 of them where adopted with developmental disabilities.
He and his wife lost their lives from a home-invasion.
All the children were safe.
The couple owned several local businesses, including a finance company and a used car dealership.
In a 2005 story in the Pensacola News Journal, the couple said they wanted to share their wealth with children in need, but didn't imagine their family would grow so large.
"It just happened," Melanie Byrd told the newspaper. "I just wanted to give them a better life."
The funeral service for the couple on Friday(July 17) drew hundreds of mourners to Pensacola's Liberty Church.
At a graveside service later at Pensacola Memorial Cemetery, church pastor Buford Lipscomb read from a letter that one of the Billingses' daughters, Missy, had written, referring to her parents and her own newborn son.
"We will tell him how the world wept with the injustice that took you from us," the letter said.
Several of the couple's younger children released balloons with messages attached.
"Words do not express the pain they feel in their hearts or great loss of this incredible couple," Lipscomb said of the family. "They loved their children beyond anything else."
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