Born Sept. 21, 1940 in Kansas City, Mo., Mary Judith Byrd of Durant, Okla. went home to be with the Lord on July 2, 2018.
Judy was preceded in death by her husband Gene Byrd, sister Connie Fain, brothers John and Terry Welsch. She is survived by her daughter Alice Tomlinson, sons Timothy Tomlinson and Steve Byrd and wife Cindy. Granddaughter Cristy Donnelly and husband John. Sisters, Barbara Hunninghake and husband Larry, and Jeanne Dunnett, and brother James Welsch.
After a lifetime of careers and raising a family in Bakersfield, Calif., Judy and Gene relocated to Rockport, Texas, where they owned and operated Lone Star Mini Storage for 20 years before making Durant, Oklahoma their retirement home.
Known for her kind heart, contagious smile (as well as her pies and cakes) and an unwavering faith in Jesus, Mom will be sorely missed. But we are comforted in the knowledge that she is HOME with her Savior, her Creator, her husband and many loved ones. We look forward to the day that we will all be together again.
A reception will immediately follow the service. In celebration of Judy’s exuberant love of life, the family asks that those in attendance wear their favorite, brightest color. She would have loved nothing more than to look out at a colorful gathering of friends and family … a garden of love and happiness.
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
Psalms 27:4-5
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“She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines. She was beautiful, for the way she thought. She was beautiful, for the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad. No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul. She is beautiful.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
A memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 7 at the Western Meadows Baptist Church in Durant with Pastor Cole Newton officiating.
In lieu of flowers memorials be made in Mary’s memory to the Western Meadow Baptist Church, 53 East Shawna Drive, Durant, Okla. 74701.