Akira Diego Maynard<\/p>\n
October 7, 2007 \u2013 January 1, 2026<\/p>\n
Dido’s Lament<\/p>\n
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
\nOn thy bosom let me rest,
\nMore I would, but Death invades me;
\nDeath is now a welcome guest.<\/p>\n
When I am laid, am laid in earth, may my wrongs create
\nNo trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
\nRemember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
\nRemember me, but ah! forget my fate.<\/p>\n
–Henry Purcell and Nahum Tate<\/p>\n
Akira Diego Maynard, of Helena, died by suicide on New Year\u2019s day. He was 18 years old.<\/p>\n
Akira was born in Helena and he attended school at Rossiter, C. R. Anderson,\u00a0Capital High, and Project for Alternative Learning.<\/p>\n
In recent months, Akira was getting his own auto-detailing business up and running. He was proving himself to be a savvy, ambitious businessman. He was set to graduate high school this year.<\/p>\n
Akira once said he was an introvert who could pretend to be an extrovert. He was smart, funny, sensitive, and sweet. He was dear and precious–kind, thoughtful, and deeply cared for. He could be naughty and mischievous at times; for those who knew him, his recent struggles were perplexing.<\/p>\n
Akira was an enigma and an old soul. He had a smile to melt the coldest ice caps. He was easy to talk to. The tragedy is that he did not have the chance to grow into the person he was meant to be. Of course, he was devastatingly handsome.<\/p>\n
The Japanese name Akira means \u201cbright,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cshining,\u201d or \u201csunlight and moonlight.\u201d He was indeed a radiant beam in the lives of those lucky enough to know him.<\/p>\n
Akira was preceded in death by his grandfather\/adoptive father, Hurrell Carter, his great-grandmother Joanne Maynard and his uncle Andy Maynard and aunt Robin Maynard.<\/p>\n
Surviving and grieving for Akira are his grandmother\/adoptive mother, Polly Carter-Maynard; his birth parents, Thaddeus Maynard and Chasmin Stover; his uncles Don (Judy), David (Sharva), and Philip (Catherine) Maynard; aunt Morgan Maynard; sisters Jennae Kuehl (Charles) and Heather Carter; his many friends; and his family at Project for Alternative Learning.<\/p>\n
Akira\u2019s funeral will be held at Anderson Stevenson Wilke & Retz at 3750 N. Montana Avenue, Friday, January 9, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.<\/p>\n
To learn about cyber bullying, go to stopbullying.gov<\/p>\n
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached at 988.<\/p>\n
Tell your children that casual, careless, and cruel lies can kill.<\/p>\n
Lock up your damn guns.<\/p>\n
There’s a gofundme site set up for Akira at https:\/\/gofund.me\/22c92e3fc. Money raised will go toward Akira’s funeral. If there’s a surplus of funds, it will be used to help buy Polly a new, used car.<\/p>\n
—–<\/p>\n
Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest\u2014Shakespeare<\/p>\n
A memorial service to celebrate Akira’s life will be held 4:00 p.m. Friday January 9, 2026, at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Avenue. A lite reception will follow in the social center of the funeral home.<\/p>\n
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