Sylvester Carl Byrd Sr.

1934 - 2020

Sylvester Carl Byrd Sr. Sylvester Carl Byrd, Sr., 85, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2020 surrounded by his family. Born on June 24, 1934, Sylvester was a lifelong resident of KCK, grew up in Armourdale and graduated from Argentine High School. Having lost his father at the age of 9, he took on a paper route to help his mother make ends meet. Being the man of the house, he helped restore the family home after the devastating 1951 flood. Sylvester married the love of his life, Carol Sue, in 1957 and they were happily married for 62 years. Sylvester served in the United States Army stateside and also in the Panama Canal. Sylvester proudly worked for the Board of Public Utilities for 43 years, was very community minded and involved in numerous civic organizations. He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. Above all, he loved his family, travelling with his wife during their retirement years in their RV and rooting for the underdog. Sylvester had quite the personality and was the life of the party. He never met a stranger and his favorite line was "What time is Happy Hour?" Sylvester is survived by his loving wife Carol Byrd, his children, Dana Kepler, (Mark), Susan Byrd, Sylvester Byrd, Jr., (Terri), Douglas Byrd, (Karen), Carla Ladish, (Scott), 14 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and all who knew him. On Saturday, February 29th, a visitation will be held from 9:00-10:00 AM, followed by a funeral service at 10:00 AM at the former Trinity Methodist Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS. Burial at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. (Condolences may be expressed at: www.porterfuneralhome.com Arrangements: Porter Funeral Home & Crematory, 1835 Minnesota Ave. Kansas City, KS (913) 621-6400)