James Anderson Byrd

October 20, 1931 - March 26, 2020

James Anderson Byrd, 88, of Lafayette died at St. Anthony’s Rehabilitation Center On March
26, 2020.
Born in Odon, Indiana, James married a beautiful girl named Monika he met while serving in the
US Army. They were married in Germany in 1953, and were married for over 60 years.
While Monika preceded James in death, surviving are three daughters, Elpha Byrd of
Crawfordsville, Linda Harcourt of Brookston, and Lisa Dowis of Colorado Springs, Colorado
(husband: Andrew Dowis of Colorado Springs, Colorado).
Jim’s grandchildren, Ricky Vaughn (Shanna Vaughn) of Lafayette, Kierston Vaughn (Eric Keith)
of Cleveland, Ohio, Drew Dowis of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Weston Dowis of Denver,
Colorado, all were the pride and joy of Jim’s life. Jim’s two great-grandchildren, twins Olivia and
Wyatt Vaughn were very involved in Jim’s life and brought him much joy and laughter.
Jim retired from Eli Lilly & Company after 38 years and built many lasting friendships with his
fellow employees. Jim was known for his incredible light-heartedness, generosity, positive
outlook on life and his wit and keen sense of humor. People loved to be around Jim since he
brought such joy and laughter to every situation. Jim also never knew a stranger, and people
were immediately drawn to this kind and delightful man. The world will deeply miss James A.
Byrd.
Due to the extraordinary situation surrounding the Corona Virus outbreak, the family plans to
hold a celebration of Jim’s life at a date yet to be determined.
Sympathy may be best expressed with donations to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://bit.ly/
2UnRKMD.

Soller-Baker Funeral Homes, Inc.

Elpha M Byrd

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Lisa and family, I was so sorry to hear of Jim’s passing. I knew him for years at Lilly, and he always had a smile and a friendly remark for everyone!

I worked at the Jefferson Square Marathon station during the 1970s. Jim was a frequent customer at the station. Always had a smile and a joke. I was always glad to speak with him when he stopped by. Sorry to see that he has passed.

In memory of James Anderson Byrd, Elpha M Byrd lit a candle

I met Jim many years ago when we both worked at the Lilly plant and occasionally at church. He always had a smile on his face and a cheerful greeting to those he met. My condolences to his family. He will be missed.

Our sincere condolances to Jim's family.

Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.

To The family of Jim, I knew Jim for many years, and he was a fun person, always happy go lucky kind of guy, please accept our condolence for your loss, he will be truly missed. the Nichols Family.

To the entire Byrd family...I was extremely sorry to see this and want to offer my most sincere condolences. We lived next to Jim and Monika for a few years on south 18th st and I want to say we had more fun with Jim and Monika than any other neighbors we ever had. I'll remember them forever.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.