He was a versatile, distinguished, well-rounded individual.

To many, Dr. Howard Cyr Jr., DDS, was the true personification of a Renaissance man.A husband, father, and grandfather, Cyr, 84, of Palmerton, was beloved by not only family, but all those whose lives he impacted on his passage through life.After a lengthy illness, Cyr passed away from leukemia Tuesday morning in his home.He was the husband and life partner of Mary E. "Honey" (O'Halloran) Cyr since Oct. 3, 1959.Katie Pascali, one of Cyr's daughters, reflected on a conversation she had many years ago when she was 10 years old."I was at the Palmerton swimming pool one day and some woman asked me who I was, and I told her I was Howard Cyr's daughter, and she said your dad was like a Renaissance man," Pascali said. "I quickly went home and looked up the definition; it epitomized my dad because he had a lot of knowledge, knew a little bit of everything."Pascali said one of her father's most endearing qualities was that he treated people fairly."Every person to him was equal; he treated everybody equally, he always found a common ground to discuss with them," she said. "He was always interested no matter what they had to say, no matter where they came from."Another of Cyr's many special traits was his ability to write letters, Pascali said."My dad was a great letter writer; he wrote to us all the time," she said. "He touched a lot of people with his letter writing; they were always thoughtful."Lewis Cyr, one of Cyr's four sons, said, "He's always told me the janitors and cafeteria people are just as important as the CEOs of the company. That's kind of how he conducted his life."Cyr was also a top-rate family man as well, Lewis Cyr said."He was a very good dad, and a very good grandfather to his 21 grandchildren," he said. "He was always more about emphasizing experiences instead of the items in life."Lewis Cyr said his father took them on lots of trips and hikes when they were little."He just had a tremendous need to be useful," he said.Cyr's daughter, Mary "Buffy" Roper, posted a tribute on Facebook that was written by Cyr's son, Billy Cyr. "He strived to build long-lasting infrastructure for that town so that it could maintain the strength and character of the community in which he grew up. No project was too big or too small for him too detailed or too complex. He methodically worked to make Palmerton a better place."He added that he did it all with humility. "One would never know that the guy wearing the beat up army jacket, wool cap and badly worn ski pants and driving a 10-plus-year-old Chevy Suburban was an intensely bright, Princeton-educated Penn-trained dentist."Cyr had a general practice in dentistry in Palmerton, which he maintained for 43 years, along with his wife.Cyr was also very active in the Boy Scouts, and was instrumental in founding the Department of Dental Hygiene at Northampton Community College.Additionally, for 37 years, he worked part time in the borough's town government in various roles, ranging from borough councilman to membership on the borough's water authority department.Borough manager Rodger Danielson said Cyr "served probably at a higher level than most."At age 70, upon his retirement from dentistry, Cyr established a small masonry business, which he continued for 12 years.When he could no longer practice masonry, he started up a wood shop in his basement, which produced tables and chairs for friends and family.Mayor Chris Olivia, Dr. Cyr's neighbor, recounted the generosity Cyr would always exhibit."He was my great friend, a great community leader," Olivia said."It's going to be a great loss for Palmerton and for the neighborhood."Olivia added, "He did everything for everybody. If there was a stone out of place, he fixed it; if your chair was broke, he fixed it."He's going to be missed," Olivia said.A funeral service with military honors will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John's Episcopal Church, 365 Lafayette Ave. Palmerton, with the Rev. Abraham J. Valiath officiating. A private interment will be held in the church's Memorial Garden.