Colonel (ret) Leon C Byrd of San Marcos, Texas died in his home on July 7, 2020, in the presence of his children.
The colonel’s life was celebrated in a small private ceremony at his home with Chaplain Jonathan Scalone officiating. His funeral mass will be performed at St Mary’s Ukrainian Rite Catholic Church in Manassas VA. His burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington VA.
Colonel Byrd was born in Lakeland, FL to Annie and William Rex Byrd on October 28, 1920. He graduated from West Point on June 5. 1945. Later that same day, he married Mary Louise Adkins in the Catholic Chapel at West Point NY.
Colonel Byrd served in the United States Army over thirty years. He fought in both the Korean and the Vietnam wars. He received multiple honors and awards to include the National Defense Service medal with oakleaf cluster, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit with oakleaf cluster, and the Senior Parachutist badge.
The Colonel supervised the design and construction of his San Marcos home to accommodate the needs of his large family and to take advantage of the view of the protected Springlake Preserve. Following his retirement, he and Mrs. Byrd furnished their home with Texas antiques, comfortable furniture, an impressive book collection and objects they collected during his overseas postings. His aesthetic sense was well developed, and it was a beautiful home that suited his family well.
He loved to walk his dog in the nature preserve which bordered his property. Colonel Byrd did this daily until well into his eighties. His narrative on the plants and animals who lived there were enjoyed by all of us who were lucky enough to accompany him. An avid gardener, the colonel was well schooled in Botany and had a reverence for native plants. In retirement he painstakingly landscaped his yard. This involved the arduous work of building multiple low rock walls to manage its slopes. For this he had the assistance of his children, whom he pressed into service when needed.
Raising ten children required enormous sacrifices, but Colonel Byrd, a devout Catholic loved them all. It was through his children’s devotion and efforts that he was able to live in his home even after he could no longer care for himself. At the end of his life he understood that the children he had raised were now sustaining him. This was a source of deep comfort and he expressed this while he still could.
Colonel Byrd we predeceased by his parents, his beloved wife Mary Louise and two of his children, Patricia Ann and Susan Julia. He also grieved the death of his sisters Edna Felts. Lil Mays, Carol Sanders. Virginia Myers and his son-in-law Jack Lee. His survivors include his children, J Douglas Byrd and his wife Natalia, Margaret (Peggy) Lee, Sarah Parisi and her husband Joe, Mazie Dangerfield and her husband Wes, Gabriel Cannon and her husband Mike, Joan Byrd, Teresa Renken and her husband Robert, Martha Stine and her husband John, Clair Byrd, and John Byrd. He is also survived by his sister Mary Sue Ready.
Memorials may be given to Kendelia Wildlife rescue.
The Byrd family wishes to extend our thanks to Hope Hospice, Comfort Keepers, Clinton Sonnier and Fidel Garza.
