Capt. Byron Alton Cyr, Sr. USN (Ret.)

Capt. Byron A. Cyr, Sr. USN (Ret.) died of a stroke at Mission Hospital on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. He was 82 years old. A native of Portsmouth, N.H., Byron graduated from Portsmouth High School in June 1950 and joined the navy shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War. He attended NAPS at Bainbridge, MD and entered the Naval Academy with a SECNAV appointment in July 1952. He graduated 1 June 1956 in the 14th Company. Byron's first duty station was the USS Yorktown (CVS-10) where he served two years as the assistant fire-control officer. He then volunteered for submarine duty and upon completion of six months training at SUBASE, New London reported to USS Irex (SS 482) for what became a three year tour of duty. Following a one year tour at SUBASE NLON he reported as pre-commissioning and commissioning navigator of USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626Gold). In 1964, eight years away from academics and with some degree of apprehension, Byron was off to Nuclear Power School. Successful completion of this was followed by a tour as navigator on USS Patrick Henry (SSBN 599), executive officer on USS Will Rogers (SSBN 659) and then a two year tour on SUBPAC Staff, Pearl Harbor. His last tour of sea duty was as Commanding Officer USS Henry Clay (SSBN 625). Byron finished his active duty on the Staff CINCPAC. Byron started experiencing heart problems in 1978 with a heart attack which led to retirement in 1979. A second heart attack occurred in 1980 and eventually led to a quintuple bypass surgery in 1982. Physical problems continued over the years which included a quadruple bypass surgery in 1999 and a diagnosis of chronic congestive heart failure in 2001. He stayed very active with tennis and golf (until 2001), dancing and yard work. He was an avid reader, spending at least 4 hours a day reading various books and magazines and of course newspapers on his computer. During his career, Byron was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with Gold Star, National Defense Medal and expert Pistol Medal with "E". While in command of Henry Clay, the ship was awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" and Engineering "E" in March 1975. One week after graduation in 1956 Byron married his high school sweetheart, Joan Louther. They had three children; Elizabeth, Byron Jr., and Victoria. After 30 years of happy married life, Joni passed away in 1986, following a seven year battle with cancer. In 1987, Byron met Gail Roland and they were married in 1992. Byron is survived by Gail, his three children, four grandchildren and several nephews and nieces. He is also survived by his three sisters, Evelyn Tremblay, Rita McNeil and Gloria Smith. A funeral mass will be held Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 10:30 AM at St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Arden with Father Adrian Porras officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at the church. Burial will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either the American Heart Association or to the American Cancer Society. Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.