David Boyd

David Emory Boyd, age 81, died peacefully on June 13, 2023, after enduring several years of declining health. David was a true gentleman with a gift of positivity that left anyone who experienced his genuine nature feeling important and appreciated. He was unwaveringly loyal to the people and organizations he loved and was generous and kind to the core. As he often said of others, he was simply “the best.”

David was born in Jacksonville, Florida, to John W. and Christine L. Boyd and enjoyed an idyllic boyhood growing up on Riverwood Lane with his older brother and sister, John and Connie. A naturally gifted athlete, David loved to compete and even more so to win. He fell in love with the game of golf by age 9 and soon was winning many junior tournaments, including two National Pee Wee titles, and was featured in Life magazine at age 12. He was a three-sport athlete at Landon High School, starring in football and basketball as well as golf, in which he won the 1959 Florida state championship.

Although he initially accepted a scholarship to play quarterback for the University of Georgia, he asked Athletic Director Wally Butts if he could convert his scholarship to golf (the first full golf scholarship granted at UGA). During his tenure on the UGA golf team, the “Links Dawgs” won the SEC three times, and David was team captain and individual SEC champion in 1962. He was selected as an All-American in 1961 and 1962. When he wasn’t playing golf during college, David was earning a BBA in Risk Management and was a member of SAE fraternity and Blue Key and later Gridiron.

After graduation, David discovered a love greater than golf and married his cherished spouse of 60 years, Anne Miller. While there were jokes over the years (by Anne) about which love got highest billing, David’s legacy of three beloved children and four special grandchildren ends any debate. He knew how fortunate he was to love and be loved so deeply by his family.

In 1964, David joined The London Agency, an insurance business founded in Atlanta by his father and several others. Working his way up to President, he and CEO Frank Kinnett successfully ran the business for decades, through its sale and afterward for the acquirer. In 1990, David co-founded Kinnett and Boyd, Inc., a mergers and acquisitions consultancy focused in the insurance space.

Throughout his business career, David continued to play in many amateur golf tournaments and was instrumental in expanding the scope of the Georgia State Golf Association. In 1993, he was invited to join the Executive Committee of the United States Golf Association (USGA), for which he also served as a rules official at tournaments such as the Masters and U.S. Open. He and Anne enjoyed making new friends through the USGA and traveled extensively on its behalf. A high point of David’s golfing life was becoming a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews, Scotland. In 2005, David was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

David played many of the greatest golf courses in both the U.S. and abroad, and he and his son Emory enjoyed competing in the annual father-son tournament at Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey. But his favorite by far was his beloved Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta, where he spent countless hours and served as President for two years. David’s love of UGA and its golf program prompted him to lead the fundraising for a new golf facility, which was completed in 1999 and bears his name. In 2013, UGA honored David with the Bill Hartman Award, which recognizes the most outstanding graduate athletes who demonstrate excellence in their life and service to others.

David believed in servant leadership and often used his influence behind the scenes to make things happen for others. He valued integrity and honor and was willing to serve. And serve he did — as a board member at The Westminster Schools, The University of Georgia Foundation, Emory University and LaGrange College; as Chairman of the Committee of 100 at Candler School of Theology at Emory; as a trustee of the Campbell Foundation; and on the board of directors at Farmers & Merchants Bank in Washington, Georgia. David was a member of St. James United Methodist Church for 61 years, serving in many lay leadership capacities.

In his late 50s, David found time for a new passion — flying — and made his first solo flight on his 60th birthday. As with anything David did, he went “all in,” becoming instrument-rated as he flew his Piper Archer around the Southeast for the next decade.

Family was everything to David. Whether he was relaxing on the porch in Ponte Vedra with Anne, playing a round of golf with Emory, rehashing every play of a UGA football game with Joel or sharing the warmest hug and kinship with Susie, David was fully invested. He loved his daughters-in-law like his own and was so proud of his grandchildren, who opened his eyes to the world of theater and music and who carry on his legacy of making this world better. And as he did with everyone he met, David saw the best in his family. His positive encouragement was a blessing and will be forever missed.

David is predeceased by his parents and his brother, John W. Boyd Jr. He is survived by his wife, Anne Miller Boyd; his three children: David Emory Boyd Jr. (Laura), Susan Miller Boyd and John Joel Boyd (Jennifer); and his four grandchildren: Rev. David Boyd III (Sarah), Katie Boyd, Emily Boyd and Matthew Boyd. In addition, he is survived by his sister, Connie B. Hegarty (Harv); his sister-in-law, Gail B. Boyd; and many loving nieces and nephews.

There will be a memorial service at St. James United Methodist Church, 4400 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, on June 20 at 2 p.m. A reception will follow at Peachtree Golf Club, 3019 Ashford Dunwoody Road.

The family would like to thank the special caregivers at Oak Leaf Manor and Trinity Hospice in Roswell as well as personal caregivers Mike Neal, Missy Mayomi and Mavis Dery who helped David have the best possible life and dignity in his final two years. We are forever grateful for their loving him as we did.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. James United Methodist Church, Candler School of Theology (1531 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322) or the Anne M. and David E. Boyd Scholarship Fund (Fund # 75573003) at Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia (600 S. Lumpkin St., 420 T Correll Hall, Athens, GA 30602). Terry contributions should be made out to the “University of Georgia Foundation.” Terry scholarship: https://gail.uga.edu/terry/giving/excellence-fund

Go Dawgs!