Thomas M. Byrd

BYRD, Thomas M. Jr. 91, passed away Tuesday, May 23, 2017, at his home in St. Petersburg, FL. He was born July 5, 1925, in Rowan County, NC to the late Thomas Mortimer Byrd Sr. and Emma Francis Morgan Byrd. He attended Rowan County schools and was a member of Shiloh Reformed Church of Faith, North Carolina. He moved to St Petersburg in 1955. He is survived by two daughters, Deborah Leah "Debbie" Byrd Ballew (Bob) and Belinda Sue Byrd; two grandchildren, Janel Leah Ballew Patterson (Bill Locke) and Bryan Thomas Ballew (Angel); five great-grandchildren, Delaney Morgan Patterson Vandenberg (John), Riley Evan Patterson, Keegan Scott Patterson, Robert Michael "Bobby" Ballew, Brody Thomas Ballew, all of St. Petersburg. Thomas Mortimer Byrd Jr. was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Julia Naomi Peeler Byrd; his brother, Donald Thomas Byrd and sisters, Edna Mae Byrd McCombs, Nora Mildred Byrd Ritchie, Frances Bernice Byrd Overcash, Mary Franklin Byrd McMillan, Margaret Elizabeth "Nib" Byrd Jones. He was a World War II veteran, having served in the Third Army under General George Patton in Germany and surrounding areas. He was truly one of the greatest men of the Greatest Generation. Thomas "Tom", "TM", "Poppy" Byrd worked as a brick/block/stone mason and was the Byrd in Gilbert & Byrd Masonry Contractors, Inc. He was a Life Member in the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local 8 Southeast, having been a member of the union since 1951. He did his apprenticeship at the VA hospital in Salisbury, NC; and did the masonry work on many commercial buildings in Pinellas County (condos, schools, office buildings, etc.) He was called Poppy by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a name that many also called him out of respect for his compassionate, kind, and gentle soul. His late wife, Julia, is Granny; and now Granny and Poppy are together again, as it was meant to be. No service, per his wishes. Donations may be made for the construction of the National Museum of the United States Army (https://armyhistory.org) http://armyhistory.causevox.com/thomas-m-byrd#main Online visitation book at: - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tampabaytimes/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-m-byrd&pid=185661639&fhid=5590#sthash.anITBDPl.dpuf