Richard Byrd, 84, passed away on June 5th, 2022. Richard was born on July 13, 1937 to his parents A.O. and Frances Byrd in Des Moines, Iowa. A visitation will be held on Thursday, June 9th at 1:00PM followed by a memorial service at 2:00PM located at Sunset Memorial Chapel.
Richard was an only child, so when he married Grace he was welcomed with more family to love. Family was everything to him and he cherished the time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Richard was a proud member of the Des Moines Fire Department since the age of 20 until the age of 55 when he retired. He was a dispatch operator for 25 years, and his calm-headed demeanor was perfect for the job.
Left to cherish Richard’s memory are his wife Grace Arlene Byrd; son Richard (Lana Exline-Byrd) Byrd, son Cory (Linda) Byrd; grandchildren Garrett (Ashley) Byrd, Adrienne (Andrew Schreier) Byrd, Heather Byrd, Cory Byrd, Samantha Byrd, Kacy Byrd; great-grandson Jesse Byrd and great-granddaughter Dana Pearson. Richard is preceded in death by his parents and his furbaby Frodo.
Richard will eventually be laid to rest with his wife Grace and Frodo at Sunset Memorial Gardens in the future.