Laird W. Salisbury

1946 - 2025

Laird M. Salisbury Sturgeon Bay, WI - Laird Wade Salisbury, 79, passed away on August 15, 2025 at his home after a short illness. He was born August 5, 1946 in Chicago. His parents were Glenn W. Salisbury and Dorothy Cross Salisbury who pre-deceased him.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1968 and trained as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He went to Vietnam in 1969, serving in an assault helicopter company with the First Cavalry Division, flying troops into combat, re-supplying them in the field and flying them back to base camp when their missions were over. As a door gunner, he protected the helicopter in flight. He was shot down three times during 14 months in combat and earned 34 air medals for combat flight time, two awarded for valor under fire.

After returning from Vietnam, Laird received his J.D. degree from the University of Illinois and had a successful career as a tax attorney in both corporate and public accounting. He moved to Janesville as the tax attorney for the Parker Pen Company. He was a tax manager for the McNally CPA firm which later merged with Virchow Krause (now Baker Tilly).

Laird was a true patriot and regarded service to his country as an honor and a privilege. From 1979 to 1985, he served as a helicopter crew chief in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He was the guest speaker at many Memorial Day and Veterans' Day events in Rock County between 1988 and 2003. He continued to serve his community after moving to Door County and served as a member of the Sevastopol Township Plan Commission from 2015 to 2025.

He married Lynda Williams Meyer on November 21, 1990. After his retirement in 2009, they moved to Door County. He loved the outdoors and found great joy in maintaining their 5-acre property, whether he was pruning trees, cutting and splitting firewood, mowing the lawn or walking among the evergreens.

Laird is survived by his wife, Lynda, and his daughters, Jennifer Salisbury and Heather Salisbury of Denver, and by Lynda's daughters, Kristen Accardo (Paul) of Gallatin, TN and Nicole Papermaster (Dave) and their children, Garrett and Kaia Papermaster of Hartland, WI.

A funeral service will be held at Forbes Funeral Home in Sturgeon Bay at 1:00 p.m. on August 26, 2025, preceded by the visitation at 12 noon. Burial will be at Bayside Cemetery in Sturgeon Bay with military honors.

Memorials and contributions may be made to Unity Hospice at unityhospice.org.