Robert (Bob) Francis Boyd

Robert (Bob) Francis Boyd died on October 4th, in Daleville, Virginia at age 93, only 4 ½ months after his wife of 71 years, Beverly Lou (nee) Chadwick. He was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1933 and was preceded in death by his parents Stephen Francis (nee Ba’jas) Boyd and Permelia Margaret (nee) Jones, his brother Daniel and his son Timothy Boyd. He is survived by his daughter Diana Boyd of Roanoke, Virginia and his sons Robin and his wife Arleen of Dixon, California and Daniel and his wife Starla of Norman, Oklahoma. He is also survived by four grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.

After the death of his infant brother, Bob grew up as an only child. His father, a former prize fighter, used Bob to help him at the tavern that he owned near the Toledo harbor front. His Irish mother instilled in him a strong desire to become educated and he received a master’s degree from Toledo University and a PhD in micro-biology from Purdue University. His teaching career began at Roanoke College and then moved to Marquette University, but he and Bev loved the Blue Ridge area so much that they returned to settle in the Roanoke area.

Bob was a writer that wrote a well-published textbook on medical micro-biology that saw updates spanning several editions, as well as a novel. He was also an oil painter, an excellent pianist, fly fisherman and master gardener, writing a book on the subject. Bob was a lost soul after the death of Bev in May, but now he is at peace.