The funeral service for Lynn Edward Boyte will be 10 a.m., Saturday, August 26, at Easthaven Baptist Church with burial in Riverwood Memorial Park. Visitation is from 5-8 p.m. Friday, August 25, at Easthaven.
At 83, Lynn Edward Boyte left this life to begin a new life in heaven: so many friends and family members are waiting to greet him. But “Miss Beckie” will join him another day.
Lynn was born on August 25, 1939, to Mr. Essie and Mrs. Melva (Martin) Boyte. His only sister, Katherine Boyte Rawls has also preceded him in death.
He graduated from Enterprise Attendance Center in 1958 and then attended Clark Community College in Newton, MS on a basketball scholarship. After graduation from Clark he signed a professional baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians. In 1964, he left professional baseball behind to come home to his family.
Lynn proudly served with the MHP for 24 years as a patrolman, an assistant inspector, and assistant director of the Implied Consent Bureau, a branch of the department of Public Safety. During this time he also was appointed Senior Tactical Officer for multiple training classes for new recruits with the MHP.
For 10 years, Lynn was a member of the MHP pistol team and was a member of the four-man team winning nationals in 1977. He formed life-long relationships with members of many Law Enforcement agencies and enjoyed great success with his team as well as earning many individual trophies and awards. He continues to hold three national records that have yet to be broken. He is a graduate of the 1983 FBI academy. Following retirement from MHP he was elected sheriff of Lincoln County in 1988 and served the citizens of Lincoln County for four terms. During his time as sheriff, he served as president of the MS Sheriff’s Association from 1993-1994 and served as Chaplin from 1999-2002. He took great pride in his department implementing “DARE” education to several hundred 6th graders, then introduced drug interdiction with canine narcotics detectors. He also implemented the Neighborhood Watch program in the county organizing 69 groups uniting the county. He had a great love of his county and its people.
Lynn is preceded in death by his parents; his sister; and his in-laws, Mr. & Mrs. Webb Russell.
He leaves his wife of 63 years, Beckie Russell Boyte; daughter, Lisa; son, Greg Boyte (LeAnn); granddaughter, Lyndsey; great grandson, Brantley; and granddaughter, Emma Grace Price; numerous nephews and nieces as well as his brother-in-law, Pete Rawls and sisters in law, Webbie Savore and Doris Bradley.
(Written & provided by Boyte family)
