Akira Diego Maynard (Obituary) October 7, 2007 – January 1, 2026

Akira Diego Maynard, of Helena, died by suicide on New Year’s day. He was 18 years old. Akira was born in Helena and he attended school at Rossiter, C. R. Anderson, Capital High, and Project for Alternative Learning. 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. 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. 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. The Japanese name Akira means “bright,” “shining,” or “sunlight and moonlight.” He was indeed a radiant beam in the lives of those lucky enough to know him. 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.

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. Akira’s funeral will be held at Anderson Stevenson Wilke & Retz at 3750 N. Montana Avenue, Friday, January 9, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.

To learn about cyber bullying, go to stopbullying.gov The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached at 988. Tell your children that casual, careless, and cruel lies can kill. Lock up your damn guns. -----Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest—Shakespeare

Donations gathered here will go toward funeral expenses; and if there is a remainder, help with the purchase of a used car for Polly's replacement. Thank you.