THOMAS SWAYNE BYRD, of Charleston, Missouri, passed away May 5, 2013.

Swayne was born on December 14, 1933, at Cairo, Illinois, to the late Thomas Albert Byrd and Helen Swayne Byrd both of Charleston, Missouri. Swayne attended St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts and then went on to graduate from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Swayne attended the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois before receiving his degree in Architecture in 1958 from Washington University in St. Louis. Swayne joined Lee Potter Smith Architectural Firm in Paducah, Kentucky before starting Thomas Swayne Byrd Architect in Sikeston, Missouri. He was the President of Swayne-Hunter Farms Inc. and was involved in Byrdland Farms Inc. In addition, he also served as the Chairman of the Dorena-Hickman Ferry and worked tirelessly to ensure its continued service for the area. Swayne was an avid patron and proponent of the arts in both Cape and Paducah. More specifically, he was central in the effort to create the River Campus at Southeast Missouri State University, and believed strongly that the celebration of the arts was the best way to bring the community together. Swayne was a longtime member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Sikeston, Missouri, he was an individual of faith, dedicated to the vestry and to those in need. Above all, he cared deeply about the success and well-being of Southeast Missouri where he helped promote individuals and businesses throughout his life.

Swayne is survived by his brother, Hugh Hunter Byrd, and two nephews, Hudson Thomas Byrd and Nelson Meriwether Byrd, all of Charleston Missouri.

Visitation in Honor of Thomas Swayne Byrd will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Sunday, May 12, 2013 at McMikle Funeral Home in Charleston.

The service in his memory will be held at St Paul's Episcopal Church in Sikeston Missouri at 10:30 a.m., Monday, May 13, 2013. Committal rites will be held at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Charleston, Missouri. Entombment will follow in the Byrd Family Mausoleum.

Pallbearers will be Reginald Young, David Brewer, Jr., Donial McCann, Dale Glenn, James Thurmond, and John W.L. Goodin.

A gathering in remembrance of his life will follow at the United Methodist Church in Charleston, Missouri.

In lieu of flower the family asks that donations be made in his memory to The Webb School,319 Webb Road East, Bell Buckle, TN 37020; St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1010 N. Main Street, Sikeston, Missouri 63801; or St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 611 Church Street, Hickman, Kentucky 42050.