Obituary

It is with heavy hearts, that we share that Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa passed away of natural causes in Dayton Ohio on December 20, 2024. He lived a long and fruitful life, leaving behind a long list of family and friends. Bayard was a member of the Greenmont-Oak Park Community Church.

Bayard was born in Laona Wisconsin on September 4, 1938, to Kenneth and Beatrice Liesch. He was the middle child in a family of five children. Dad graduated at the top of his class at Laona High School and earned his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Bayard accepted a position with Dayton Power & Light in Dayton Ohio, where he worked for 25 years. After he earned an MBA from Wright State University, he had a successful tenure at the engineering firm, High Voltage Maintenance. Bayard retired at age 62 and enjoyed his years in retirement. He was a proud member of the Engineers Club.

Bayard and his first wife, Judy, raised three boys while living in Oakwood, a Dayton suburb. Later, he met and married his second wife Loretta Morgan (widow of Jerry Morgan). They lived together in Centerville Ohio until she passed in 2021. Dad lived an active life, enjoying camping, hiking and fishing. He was an avid cyclist riding several century rides (100 miles). Bayard was an avid reader and enjoyed the fine arts as a season ticket holder for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Bayard was preceded in death by his parents Ken and Bea, his sister Nancy and husband Jerry, his brothers Ken, Lynn, and his brother-in-law Bob Knuth.

Bayard is survived by sister Marilyn Knuth (Bob), sister-in-law Judy Liesch (Ken), sister-in-law Jeanie Liesch (Lynn), his sons and their wives Jeffrey (Beth), Scott (Punkin) and Guy (Nicki), eleven grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by Loretta’s children, Sherry and Tom Voet, Jay and Kris Morgan and their respective children and grandchildren. We would like to express our gratitude to his friend and fellow church member, Ruth Fulmer, for her companionship and care over the past few years.

We will celebrate Dad’s life on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Visitation will be held at the Greenmont-Oak Park Community Church on Woodman Avenue in Kettering at 10am, followed by a church service at 11am. We will continue the celebration from 1pm to 4pm at the Warped Wing Brewery and Restaurant at the intersection of SR 73 and SR 741 in Springboro. The burial will be held separately in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dad’s name to the Greenmont-Oak Park Community Church, 1921 Woodman Drive, Kettering OH 44520 or to Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, 7575 Paragon Road, Dayton OH 45459.