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"I am very fortunate to have been his wife. I have a lot of wonderful memories of the wonderful times we had together," said Yvonne Gilyard.
Mr. Gilyard was born June 27, 1940, in Waterbury, the son of Richard and Elizabeth Gilyard. From 1967 to 1968, he attended Post College, where he majored in liberal arts. He and Yvonne were married in May 1968 in Wolcott.
"We had 41 beautiful years together, which I am very grateful for. Of those 41, almost 14 were an extra gift because of his heart transplant," said Mrs. Gilyard. "I think of my husband as a very compassionate and giving person who was extremely positive."
In 1985, Mr. Gilyard suffered a massive heart attack, and in 1994 he injured a disc in his back and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. The condition reversed itself naturally after he was rushed to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington.
He was then transferred to Hartford Hospital, where doctors performed laminectomy, a back procedure in August of 1994. Later that month, he suffered cardiac arrest and doctors placed a defibrillator in his heart. At that point, the issue of a heart transplant arose.
In October of the same year, the defibrillator fired seven times, and in November it accidentally misfired 27 times and nearly killed him. Following the accident, doctors installed a double chamber pacemaker.
In September of 1995, Mr. Gilyard received the heart transplant.
"Since his heart transplant, he overcame so many obstacles and he always came back. He had a great attitude and was very positive," said Litchfield resident Jeffrey Savage, who has known Mr. Gilyard since 1993. Mr. Savage, Mr. Gilyard and Mrs. Gilyard opened Litchfield Antiques together in Bantam in 2006.
Mr. Gilyard was a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Army from June 1959 until June 1967. He served in France from January 1962 through June 1963, and in Vietnam from August 1965 through June 1967. His last assignment was with Headquarters Company of the 54th Signal Battalion, and he was discharged with the rank of Sergeant (E-5) and awarded National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.
In 1969, Mr. Gilyard pursued his lifelong passion for 18th- century architecture and furnishings when he began his career as an independent business owner with the founding of Gilyard's Antique Lumber and Antiques.
"He had a personality that people were interested in. He was sort of gruff in his straightforwardness," said Litchfield resident and renowned antiques dealer Peter Tillou. "We lost one of our great characters in the community."
In 1978, Mr. Gilyard and his wife bought a Bantam farmhouse overlooking Route 202, where they set up a barn-beam business, and they eventually moved to Bantam in 1979. The Gilyards sold the farmhouse in 1994 and moved into a 25-acre former farm of Merritt Clarke, who died in 1992. The couple took over Mr. Clarke's store in 1993. The shop sold real work clothing and boots, and was located across Gilyard's Antique Lumber and Antiques.
"I have seen this man involve himself locally for bettering other people's lives with no incentives of his own," said Jeffrey Tillou, the son of Peter Tillou and owner of Jeffrey Tillou Antiques in Litchfield.
Mr. Gilyard joined Tyler-Seward-Kubish Post 44 American Legion in 1984. He immediately became an active member, and was elected post finance officer and treasurer of the All Wars Memorial Committee, positions that he held at the time of his passing.
Mr. Gilyard was very active in the local community, and his interest in the Bantam borough government led to his election as the Bantam Borough warden from 1982 to 1986. He served as chairman of the Bantam Planning and Zoning Commission for an extended number of years, after which he remained a prominent force as a regular commission member.
More recently, he served as a member of the Litchfield High School and Intermediate School Renovation Committee.
"When we came here, he really wanted to give back to the town. He felt people should give to their town; he felt strongly about that and acted on that belief," said Mrs. Gilyard. "He was straightforward about what he thought and felt."
Mr. Gilyard leaves behind his mother and stepfather, Dr. Andrew Draper of Ocala, Fla., a sister, Diane Gilyard Hopper of Coventry, a brother, Anthony French Gilyard, and his wife, Sue, of Williston, Fla., and a sister-in-law, Lynn Klemesrud, and her husband, Bruce, of Ohio. He also leaves behind many nieces and nephews.
On June 28, a celebration of Mr. Gilyard's life will be held at the Gilyard Farm, located at 1083 Bantam Road in Bantam, beginning at noon. A potluck picnic will follow. Mrs. Gilyard asks that people bring a dish and a memory to share.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bantam Fire Co., Ambulance Fund, P.O. Box 456, Bantam 06750; to the All Wars Memorial, P.O. Box 441, Bantam 06750; or to Bantam Historical Society; P.O. Box 436, Bantam, 06750.
