Akira Maynard

2007 - 2026

Akira Maynard

October 7, 2007 - January 1, 2026

Akira Diego Maynard

October 7, 2007 – January 1, 2026

Dido's Lament

Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,

On thy bosom let me rest,

More I would, but Death invades me;

Death is now a welcome guest.

When I am laid, am laid in earth, may my wrongs create

No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;

Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.

Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.

--Henry Purcell and Nahum Tate

Akira Diego Maynard, of Helena, died by suicide on New Year's Day. He was 18 years old.

Akira was born in Helena, and he attended school at Rossiter, C. R. Anderson, Capital High, and Project for Alternative Learning.

In recent months, Akira was getting his own auto-detailing business up and running. He was proving himself to be a savvy, ambitious businessman. He was set to graduate high school this year.

Akira once said he was an introvert who could pretend to be an extrovert. He was smart, funny, sensitive, and sweet. He was dear and precious--kind, thoughtful, and deeply cared for. He could be naughty and mischievous at times; for those who knew him, his recent struggles were perplexing.

Akira was an enigma and an old soul. He had a smile to melt the coldest ice caps. He was easy to talk to. The tragedy is that he did not have the chance to grow into the person he was meant to be. Of course, he was devastatingly handsome.

The Japanese name Akira means "bright," "shining," or "sunlight and moonlight." He was indeed a radiant beam in the lives of those lucky enough to know him.

Akira was preceded in death by his grandfather/adoptive father, Hurrell Carter; his great-grandmother, Joanne Maynard, and his uncle, Andy Maynard, and aunt, Robin Maynard.

Surviving and grieving for Akira are his grandmother/adoptive mother, Polly Carter-Maynard; his birth parents, Thaddeus Maynard and Chasmin Stover; his uncles, Don (Judy), David (Sharva), and Philip (Catherine) Maynard; Aunt Morgan Maynard; sisters, Jennae Kuehl (Charles) and Heather Carter; his many friends; and his family at Project for Alternative Learning.

Akira's funeral will be held at Anderson Stevenson Wilke & Retz at 3750 N. Montana Avenue, Friday, January 9, 2026, at 4 p.m. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer condolences to the family or to share a memory of Akira.

To learn about cyber bullying, go to stopbullying.gov

The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached at 988.

Tell your children that casual, careless, and cruel lies can kill.

Lock up your damn guns.

There's a gofundme site set up for Akira at https://gofund.me/22c92e3fc. Money raised will go toward Akira's funeral. If there's a surplus of funds, it will be used to help buy Polly a new, used car.

-----

Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest-Shakespeare

Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home

3750 N. Montana Avenue

Helena, Montana 59602

406-442-8520