Alma Gay Byrd Obituary
Alma Gay Byrd, 82, of Tucson, AZ passed from this world to a better one on June 19, 2023. She was preceded in death by her parents, a sister, her husband, Jack, and son-in-law, Kevin Candela. She is survived by her daughters, Jackie Candela and Kristin (Michael) Cardenas, her son, Steve (Helen Schneider) Byrd, her cousin, Marla (Evan) Beasley, who was more like a sister, and her beloved dog, Pepé. Alma was born September 18, 1940 in Grandville Township, IL. She grew up on the family farm and learned a great respect for hard work and conservation and spoke fondly of those days in a much different time.
Inspired by her drive to help people, she became a registered nurse while raising three children. Her career and interest in expanding her horizons geographically took her to various hospitals and healthcare facilities including two of her favorite positions -- working with children in the mountains of Virginia as a school nurse and working with young aviators in-training at the Naval hospital on the Texas coast. She was a consummate professional who took the responsibility of providing exceptional patient care very personally and saw nursing as a "calling.". She received numerous accolades for her nursing skills as well as her management and training of other young nurses.
She had a strong passion for political and social activism that led her to work on numerous political campaigns. She had a great compassion for animals and volunteered for many years at the Effingham County Humane Society when she lived in Illinois. She was a deeply spiritual person and believed vehemently in the tenants of social justice. Her ideals made her feel very much at home as a member of the congregation and volunteer at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, where she had many dear friends.
No matter how busy her life got, she always had time for her family. She could tell stories for hours of all the good times and good things in her kids' and relatives' lives. Her memory of events long past and her mental acuity amazed those around her. If she had any concern about the safety or general welfare of her children, they could count on getting a phone call. Alma never stopped being a mom. She was beloved by her children and will be deeply missed.
A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, July 2 at 12:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, 4831 E. 22nd St., Tucson, AZ 85711. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson (https://uuctucson.org) or the Effingham County Humane Society (https://effinghamcountyhumanesociety.org).
