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David Byrd didn't know that his small gesture of kindness made such a big difference for his neighbors. KSMU's Missy Shelton reports.

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Sense of Community-David Byrd Profile

The neighborhood where David Byrd and the Risslers live.

Sense of Community-David Byrd Profile

Many mornings, David Byrd puts the Risslers' newspaper right at their front door so they don't have to go down stairs to get it.

Sense of Community-David Byrd Profile

David Byrd stands outside his home in the Branson area.

When we asked listeners to nominate good neighbors, we received an email from Marcia and Bob Rissler of Branson.

“Dave was so kind to us last year. He’s what I call a quiet angel.”

That’s Dave as in David Byrd. He plays piano for Bill Haley’s Original Comets during the afternoon show at the Andy Williams Theatre in Branson. Dave lives just across the street from the Risslers.

Byrd says, “Being a musician, I stay up late and get up early. I guess I don’t want to miss anything. But by getting up early, I see the paperboy come down and throw the paper in the driveway so they would have to get up, get dressed and get their paper. So it’s nothing for me to just go out and put their paper up by the door. I didn’t know they appreciated it all that much.”

David Byrd’s kindness came at a critical moment for the Risslers.

Marcia Rissler says, “Last year, I had tendon reconstruction surgery and it was several months worth of recuperation. Every morning we’d find out newspaper right at our door. It seemed like such a simple gesture.”

A simple gesture but a meaningful one for two people who couldn’t easily get up and down their front steps to get the newspaper from the driveway. Bob Rissler says getting the paper is a highlight of his day.

Bob Rissler says, “That’s my thing, to read my paper every day. I can walk around with a cane but it’s tough to get in and around, especially in the winter time when there’s snow and ice on the ground. Invaluable…saves a lot of hassle to know the paper’s going to be laying out there. You can count on Dave and if it’s not there, Dave’s gone.”

On a recent morning, David Byrd took me over to the Risslers’ driveway where we found their newspaper.

It’s not just about the newspaper. David Byrd leaves his garage door open and there’s a standing invitation for neighbors to borrow his tools. And Marcia Rissler says he’s helped her and her husband in other ways.

Marcia says, “He’s done other things for neighbors like when our neighbors across the street are gone, he’ll mow their lawn and he’s done some tree trimming for us.”

Byrd says he grew up in a loving home and that helped shape his attitude toward people.

Byrd says, “My dad was a Southern Baptist preacher. We grew up with so much love in our family and I think that rubbed off on me. I like people a lot. I care about them. In a Christian, we’re supposed to love each other. We might not like somebody’s ways but we’re supposed to love each and other respect each other as a human being first. And then if you find a lot of good there, then that’s good and if not, try to say something to help them along the way.”

Like the old saying, what goes around, comes around…Byrd says he’s been on the receiving end too.

Byrd says, “Sometimes with the Comets, we travel. We do road tours. So one time I was gone and I came back. It was about 3 or 4 days and I came back. I noticed my lawn was mowed. I didn’t think my wife had done it. She doesn’t run the lawn mower. So, it was a neighbor up the street, just decided to cut my grass while he was cutting his grass. Just all kinds of good things like that happen around in the neighborhood.”

The Risslers have also received kind gestures from other neighbors. Bob Rissler says when he and his wife bought their house, snagging it as soon as it went on the market, they already felt good about the neighborhood.

Bob Rissler says, “We liked the neighborhood when we saw it. The neighbors turned out to be a big bonus.”

To thank David Byrd for his kindness, Marcia Rissler has baked him several batches of cookies.

“It’s time to make some more cookies, because he’s still delivering the paper.”
 

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