Mr. William Kermit Byrd

1939-2018

Mr. William Kermit Byrd, Stanford, Ky., formerly of West Point, Miss., 79, was born in Webster County, Miss., the son of the late Eucalis Kermit and Thelma Louise Sims Byrd. He was a 1958 graduate of West Point High School.

Kermit began his longtime career at Babcock and Wilcox Corporation in West Point in April 1962, where he worked in the shipping and receiving department. He was also a supervisor in the storeroom for many years. Kermit retired after 34 years in April 1996 from Babcock and Wilcox Corporation, where he was the senior buyer and purchasing agent. Kermit was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association as well as an avid hunter and fisherman. Kermit’s passion for people was evident in the time he took to converse with everyone as well as cook and share recipes for the best meal around. Nothing brought Kermit more joy than providing a meal for others. He enjoyed working in the yard, building and creating various projects and sharing a good joke. He was a member of Trinity Baptist Church in West Point before moving to Stanford, Ky., in September 2017. He married Bettie Burton on November 18, 1997, in Vernon, Ala., and they were married for 21 years. Kermit was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend.

Funeral services will be Monday, December 17, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. from Calvert Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Mike Smith officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Garden Cemetery in West Point. Both Calvert Funeral Home of West Point, Miss., and Fox and Friend Funeral Home of Stanford, Ky., are honored to be entrusted with the arrangements.

Survivors include his loving wife of 21 years, Bettie Burton Byrd of Stanford, Ky.; three sons, Ricky Byrd (Crystal) of Puckett, Miss., Lamar Byrd (Lindsey) of Burleson, Texas, and Rusty Burton (Kate) of Owensboro, Ky.; seven grandchildren; six great grandchildren; two brothers, Kenneth Byrd (Jane) of West Point, Miss., and John Ellis Byrd (Corkie) of Prescott, Ariz.; niece, Carolyn Golson and nephews including Johnny Byrd (his cooking buddy, and “Mr. Fix It Helper”); Ken Byrd, Mike Byrd, Chris Byrd, Nathan Burton, Dan Burton, Steven Burton, Michael Burton; three sisters-in-law, Carolyn Cason (Bill) of Charlottesville, Va., Sybil Mangin (Tom) of Raymond, Miss., and Barbara Rushing (Danny) of Columbus, Miss.; two brothers-in-law, Phil Burton (Beverly) and Steve Burton (Janie) both of Stanford, Ky.; as well as many other family and friends that loved him dearly.

Pallbearers will be Kenneth Ware, Jacob Ware, David Thompson, Billy Buck Staggers, Shelley Wilkerson, and Johnny Byrd. Honorary pallbearers will be former employees of Babcock & Wilcox, Harmon Lake Sportsman Club members, Dr. Douglas G. Irwin, doctors and nurses of Ephraim McDowell Hospital in Danville, Ky., Dr. Anthony Rogers, doctors and nurses of the 6th Floor and ICU at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Ky., nurses and staff of Bluegrass Hospice in Lexington, Ky., and the nurses and staff of Heritage Hospice in Lincoln County, Ky.

Memorials may be made to American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 8217, Jackson, MS 39215 or to Heritage Hospice, P.O. Box 1213, Danville, KY 40423.

Visitation will be Sunday 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Calvert Funeral Home. Friends may leave an online condolence at www.calvertfuneralhome.com. A Guestbook is also available at www.friendfuneralhomes.com.