Robert Roger Boyd

Bob was born in Yakima, Washington on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1934. He was the second born son of Frances Williams and Russell James Boyd (who served in World War I for 303 days in France).

As Bob’s father was a tire salesman for BF Goodrich during the Depression, the Boyd family moved around quite a bit. In addition to Yakima, Bob lived in Seattle, Wenatchee, Walla Walla, Spokane, and North Bend.

In 1943 Bob fell in love with airplanes and flying while looking out of his bedroom window at Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle. At the age of 11, Bob and his family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he lived the life of Tom Sawyer. He lived on a lake and enjoyed fishing, swimming, ice skating, and skiing.

Bob enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 after the start of the Korean war at the age of 17 prior to completing high school. After basic training at Shepherd Air Force Base in Texas, he was went to Dallas aviation school for nine months of aircraft mechanics training. He was assigned to Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, for aircraft instrument repair school. He volunteered there for technical instructor duty with the 3499th Mobile Training Group. He became part of the Mobile Training Detachment and moved 54 times in his 20-year career. Among those places were: Okinawa (twice), Puerto Rico, Tripoli, Libya, and his favorite, Australia, as well as many bases here in the United States. He instructed technicians on the F86D, the F105D, and the F111 (which took him to Australia). He retired in September 1971 from the Air Force at Travis Air Force Base.

Bob entered the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in 1971 and graduated in 1974 with his bachelors of science degree in electrical engineering with honors. He spent the next 28 years working as an analog circuit designer in the aerospace industry, primarily at Hughes Aircraft Company in Fullerton, California, and retired again in 2002.

Bob and Linda met on December 21, 1980 at what was at that time the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Linda had prayed the previous Thanksgiving for a Christian husband, and God granted that prayer. Bob and Linda were married just a short year later, on December 19, 1981 at the first Baptist Church in Anaheim, California.

Bob and Linda both enjoyed photography and traveling. They toured every state in the Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, as well as Alaska (twice), Hawaii, Australia, England, Ireland, and Scotland, Bob’s country origin. They also shared their love of collie dogs.

Bob and Linda became parents of Jana Lynn on September 26, 1986, and Bob became acquainted very quickly to coloring books, board games, and Ken and Barbie.

Bob was pre-deceased in death by his parents, his brother Russell, his son Craig Allen Boyd, and his grandson Andrew Christopher.

He is survived by his loving wife, Linda Lee; daughter Jana Lynn; daughter-in-law, Linda; granddaughter Katie; and great granddaughters, Lily Katherine, Summer Elizabeth, and Brooke.

DONATIONS may be given to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and

World Vision (International Humanitarian Aid Organization)