R. Byard Hires ’66 died on July 23, 2026, in Greenwich, Connecticut.

(The following was provided by the Lawrence Funeral Home – Darien on July 25, 2026:)

R. Byard Hires ’66

Byard (“By”) Hires passed away on July 23 at Greenwich Hospital. He leaves behind his much-loved wife of thirty years, Anne, and his brother Jeffrey (Donna) of Westerly, RI. He was pre-deceased in 1989 by his wonderful first wife, Carol Hires of Darien CT; By and Carol were married in 1970 and had three children who survive him, Elizabeth Hires of Cold Spring, NY, Gregory Hires (Margaret) of San Francisco, and David Hires (Chrissy) of Sherwood, Oregon. By had four grandchildren: Owen and Benjamin Edelson of Cold Spring, NYC, and Robert and Eleanor Hires of San Francisco.
By was a son of the late Richard & Margaret Hires of New Jersey; he was a 1962 graduate of Millburn (NJ) High School, and a 1966 graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He earned a 1968 master’s degree in finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, after which he graduated from the US Navy’s Officer Candidate School and served as an active-duty US Navy officer in Washington in 1969.

After finishing his US Navy service, By became a management consultant in the Washington office of McKinsey & Co. in 1970. He and Carol were married in late 1970 and lived in Bethesda, Maryland, where their oldest two children (Elizabeth and Gregory) were born. In 1977, McKinsey transferred By from Washington to their New York City office, and By and his family moved to Darien, CT.

In 1979, By accepted an offer to leave McKinsey & Co. and join Marsh & McLennan Companies in New York City as a corporate vice president with responsibilities for executive compensation and employee benefits. By and Carol’s youngest son, David, was born in 1984 in Stamford CT.

Carol very sadly became ill with cancer in the late 198’s. As she declined, Carol pressed By to meet single women after she passed. By was very happy to meet Anne a year later, and they were together for thirty-plus years, marrying in 1995.

During his years at Marsh & McLennan, By was deeply involved in a number of corporate mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the UK, to which he often traveled on behalf of the firm. By retired in 2001.

By much enjoyed golf with “senior men’s” groups at the Country Club of Darien and The Club at Admirals Cove in Florida, where he and Anne bought a vacation home in 2004. Though never a “star” golfer, By was proud of the two “holes in one” he scored.

In retirement, By was asked to join the Executive Compensation Committee at the Jupiter [FL] Medical Center. He was pleased to be an involved member of that committee for fifteen years until he stepped down in 2024.