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Conrad Keefe Cyr Obituary

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Conrad Keefe Cyr

Bangor, ME

December 9, 1931 - July 28, 2016

Conrad Keefe Cyr Obituary

A life well lived has come to a peaceful conclusion with the passing of the Honorable Conrad Keefe Cyr, 84, on July 28, 2016. His longstanding wishes to leave his earthly existence in the comfort of his home and to be surrounded by the love of his immediate family were fulfilled. Conrad was born on December 9, 1931, in Limestone, Maine, the first child of Louis E. and Kathleen (Keefe) Cyr.


After graduating from Limestone High School in 1949, Conrad obtained his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross in 1953. In 1956 he earned his law degree from Yale University and thereafter practiced law in Limestone and Bangor for several years. In 1959 Conrad became an assistant U.S. Attorney and in the 1960s embarked upon a very rewarding and highly successful career in the federal judiciary. He served as a Federal Bankruptcy Referee/Judge playing a very prominent role in the successful effort to rewrite the Federal Bankruptcy Code. During that time he founded and became editor-in-chief of the American Bankruptcy Law Journal through which he developed a national reputation. President Ronald Reagan nominated Conrad to serve as the U.S. District Court judge in Bangor in 1981. He served in that capacity until 1989, at which time, he was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to a position on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in Boston. Concurrently, Conrad was selected by Chief Justice William Rehnquist to serve on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in Washington, D.C. from 1987 to 1994. On January 31, 1997, Judge Cyr assumed senior status and continued to hear cases for several years.


Even greater than his love for the law were his love of sports and his home life. As a child and young man, Conrad loved playing basketball and baseball with his brother Tom and his Limestone friends. His permanent condition of "baseball fever" caused him to grab a glove and pitch anytime there was bare ground. Playing in summer baseball leagues in Aroostook County was a wonderful respite from the demands of college. Later on, he added tennis and golf to his interests. Home life mattered most of all. Family, relatives and friends can attest to the joy and fun we had with Conrad holding court at dinner and in the den discussing important news of the day, events of the past and stories that anyone had to tell. He wholeheartedly enjoyed the company, opinions and perspectives of others in his home, and to Conrad, home was several places--Limestone, Winterport, Grand Falls, NB, Brewer, Ocean Ridge, FL and Hampton, NH--whether they were residences, or places dear to his heart.


Conrad is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Diana Sanborn Cyr of Hampton, N.H., his loving and loyal sons, Keefe Cyr and Jeffrey Cyr and wife Shelley, all of Winterport; his grandchildren, Cody, Courtney and Ryan Cyr; his admiring brothers, Thomas of Cross Lake, Michael and wife Eleanor of Sinclair and Daniel of Bangor; and in-laws, Dawn Mitchell, Robert and Billie Cooper and Ted Sanborn. Conrad was a cherished uncle to many nephews and nieces, Jon, Peter, Robert and Heidi Cyr, Julia Carciero, Kirsten Ismael, John and Peter Pirie, Brenda Seheult, Cynthia and Graham Mitchell, Jr., Dawn and Nancy Ferris, Robert W. Cooper, Lauren Ryan, Ted Sanborn, Jr. and Tracey Huberdeau. Conrad will be sadly missed and warmly remembered by his entire family and his many friends.


In addition to his parents, Conrad was predeceased by his loving and devoted first wife, Judith Pirie Cyr of Grand Falls, NB; his sister, Marilyn Cyr; and in-laws, Sandra Cyr, Frederick W. and Betty Pirie, Betty and Ken Ferris and Graham Mitchell.


With deep appreciation, Conrad's family offers a heart-felt thank you to JeanPaul Gervil and Irlande Moreau for the compassionate and dedicated care they provided to Conrad for the past three years.


Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend his calling hours on Tuesday, August 2, from 4PM to 7PM at the Brookings Smith Funeral Home, 133 Center St., Bangor, Maine and Wednesday, August 3, from 4PM to 7PM at the Giberson-Dorsey Funeral Home, 144 Main St, Fort Fairfield, ME 04742. A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, August 4, at 11AM at St. Louis Church, 106 Main St., Limestone, ME 04750. His burial will follow in St. Louis Cemetery, Limestone. Those who wish may make a donation in Conrad's name to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation, 110 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017.

To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Conrad Keefe Cyr hosted by Bangor.

Events

Event information can be found on the Official Obituary of Conrad Keefe Cyr.