Widow of Vietnam soldier gained family

SEDALIA — She kept her word for nearly 42 years.

Janice Thomas of Sedalia married her high-school sweetheart, Gary Byrd, after they graduated from Northwest High School in 1965. Byrd was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War.

After his training and a tour of duty in Vietnam, Byrd met Thomas in Hawaii for a little rest and relaxation. The newly married couple were about to part ways, and Byrd was expected to return to Vietnam.

"That's when he asked me to watch out for his mom and dad until he got back," Thomas said.

Byrd was killed by a land mine on Oct. 13, 1967, just two months before he was set to return home. His death left his parents, Ina and Lowell, childless and Thomas a young widow. But Gary's death was just the beginning of a relationship between her and his parents.

Thomas kept her promise and looked after the Byrds until they died, Ina in September 2008 and Lowell on July 20 at age 92. Thomas said she grieves Lowell's recent death. Gary and his father shared similar characteristics. They both laughed a lot and were laid back, even-tempered and likable.

"I always felt as long as I had Lowell, I never lost Gary because their personalities were so similar," Thomas said.

They became family, enjoyed each other's company and supported one another. Thomas helped the Byrds make the transition to a retirement home and later an assisted living facility.

"It's an awesome responsibility," she said. "You want to make sure their quality of life is the same as the way they've lived."

Looking back, Thomas said she was worried her relationship with the Byrds would fizzle after Gary's death.

"I was worried that I would lose them," she said.

Thomas said it was natural to take care of the Byrds, who she considered a second set of parents. She maintained relationships with Ina's family in Missouri and Lowell's kin in Ohio.

"I'm close to all of them, really," she said.

Thomas, who has spent the past 30 years as a sign language interpreter at Skyline Elementary School, remained the Byrds' daughter-in-law even though she later remarried and had children.

The Byrds welcomed Thomas' children from a second marriage as their own grandchildren and Thomas' grandchildren as their great-grandchildren. Sunday dinners at the Byrds were a staple.

"Ina and Lowell always wanted their family around them," Thomas said.

Thomas and her husband of 25 years, Kenny, had a loving relationship with the Byrds. The couples shared a joy for gardening, and Ina and Janice would trade canning recipes.

"He was just like a dad to me, and she was like my mother; she always let me know if I did something wrong," Kenny Thomas said of the Byrds.