Swayne Byrd

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Thomas Swayne Byrd, 79, of Charleston passed away Sunday, May 5, 2013.

He was born Dec. 14, 1933, in Cairo, Ill., to Thomas Albert and Helen Swayne Byrd of Charleston.

Swayne attended St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass., and went on to graduate from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn. He attended the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois before receiving a degree in architecture in 1958 from Washington University in St. Louis.

He joined Lee Potter Smith Architectural Firm in Paducah, Ky., before starting Thomas Swayne Byrd Architect in Sikeston, Mo. He was president of Swayne-Hunter Farms Inc. and was involved with Byrdland Farms Inc. In addition, he served as chairman of Dorena-Hickman Ferry and tirelessly worked to ensure its continued service for the area.

Swayne was an avid patron and proponent of the arts in Cape Girardeau and Paducah. More specifically, he was central in the effort to create the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University, and strongly believed the celebration of the arts was the best way to bring the community together.

He was a longtime member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Sikeston. He was an individual of faith, dedicated to the vestry and to those in need. Above all, he deeply cared about the success and well-being of Southeast Missouri, where he helped promote individuals and businesses throughout his life.

Swayne is survived by a brother, Hugh Hunter Byrd; and two nephews, Hudson Thomas Byrd and Nelson Meriwether Byrd, all of Charleston.

Visitation in honor of Thomas Swayne Byrd will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

A service in his memory will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Sikeston. Committal rites will be at IOOF Cemetery in Charleston. Entombment will be in the Byrd Family Mausoleum.

Pallbearers will be Reginald Young, David Brewer Jr., Donial McCann, Dale Glenn, James Thurmond and John W.L. Goodin.

A gathering in remembrance of his life will follow at the United Methodist Church in Charleston.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made in his memory to The Webb School, 319 Webb Road East, Bell Buckle, Tenn., 37020; St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1010 N. Main Street, Sikeston, Mo., 63801; or St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 611 Church Street, Hickman, Ky., 42050.