Larry Byard

Lt. Cmdr. Larry F. Byard, USN (Ret.), 70, of Sanford, died on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Larry was born in Oswego, NY on November 6, 1940 to John and Dorothy (Ives) Byard. He grew up in up state New York and attended local schools. He enlisted in the Navy while he was still in high school. During his 25-year enlistment he served three tours in Vietnam and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University through the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program earning a Navel officer commission. He also attended the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. Later in his military career he was actively involved in developing the ARPANET, which was a precursor to the Internet. He retired from the military when he was stationed in Germany and stayed there to work for a U.S. contractor in the computer field. After two years Larry and his wife moved to the Sanford area where he opened DUX Computer Works, which he owned and operated for 12 years before retiring in 1998. Larry enjoyed vegetable gardening and was an amateur meteorologist. He was a member of the American Legion, the Elks and the V.F.W. For the past six years Larry and his wife had wintered in Florida. He was a loving and devoted husband and father and will be dearly missed by his family and friends. Surviving are his wife, Claudia Byard of Sanford; his son, Joshua John Byard and his fiancee Daiselyn F. Elliott of York; three brothers, Cory, James and Wayne Byard and two sisters, Dori Digenti and Pam Byard and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 6th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at the Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home, 580 Main Street in Springvale. Interment with full military honors will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, March 7th at the Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery located on Stanley Road in Springvale. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider the Maine Children's Cancer Program C/O the Sanford Elks Lodge, P.O. Box 624, Sanford, Maine 04073. To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit www.blackfuneralhomes.com.