Byron Schriver Jr.

BYRON SCHRIVER JR., Shipmate, USNA, of Little Rock, passed away Friday, May 5, 2017 at the age of 80. He was born in 1936 in Ft. Smith, Ark. His childhood residences consisted of Memphis, Tenn.; Cortez, Co.; the island of Guam; and Brooklyn, N.Y. After graduating from Poly Prep Country Day School, an Ivy League preparatory academy in Brooklyn, Byron was appointed to the Naval Academy. He graduated with distinction, which permitted him to receive his diploma personally from President Dwight Eisenhower. Subsequently, he received a Master's in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He always enjoyed his military experiences that began when his father was stationed on Guam, which provided an easy access to Hong Kong, where he spent his 16th birthday. Annapolis was demanding but rewarding in many, many ways. He was proud to have commanded a company of his classmates and was on the Dean's List and Superintendent's List for four years. He was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, where he served five years – including 3.5 years with Strategic Air Command's Nuclear Strike Force during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His crew was selected as the senior launch crew for evaluation of the other Atlas D launch crews of the 703rd Strategic Missile Wing at Cheyenne. Upon leaving active duty in March 1963, he joined the Chrysler Corporation Space Division in New Orleans, LA to assist in the development of the Saturn V space booster. He continually followed military development and history all his life, and was especially proud of his son Lee's military service and achievements. Byron worked for the Trust Company Bank in Atlanta for four years before joining a start-up real estate investment and development firm, also in Atlanta. He moved his family to Little Rock in 1977 where he began his 27-year career with Stephens, Inc., and retired as Sr. Vice President of Public Finance. In retirement he enjoyed travel, serving at St. James United Methodist Church where he chaired the Finance, Stewardship and Annual Fund Drive committees, attending and promoting Life Quest of Arkansas, playing poker with friends and family, and watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Byron loved his family deeply. He considered himself blessed to have been paired by God with his beloved wife of 49 years, Carol. She proved to be a selfless helpmate and mother, assuming his familial responsibilities when business travels pulled him away. He was very proud of his three children: Lee, Robert and Allyn, and their many lifetime achievements. He was especially proud of their godliness and successes in their personal lives and with the grandchildren they are raising. Byron was preceded in death by his parents, Byron Sr. and Faye Allyn. Immediate family surviving are wife: Carol; son: Lee of Memphis, Tenn.; son and daughter-in-law: Robert Schriver and Jean Del Colliano of Brooklyn, N.Y.; daughter and son-in-law: Allyn and Aaron Elleman of Springdale, Ark.; grandchildren: Davis, Carley and Layton Elleman of Springdale; and Casey and Tess Schriver of Brooklyn, N.Y.; cousin: Randy Weaver and wife, Diane of Plano, Texas; and step-mother, Martha Dietrichson of Tampa, Fla. Services will be held on Wednesday, May 10 at 2 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the St. James United Methodist Church Building Fund, 321 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock, Ark. 72212, the Joseph Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp, 5512 Ferndale Cutoff, Little Rock, Ark. 72223, or to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501) 224-2200. Byron's online guestbook may be signed at www.littlerockfuneralhome.com.