Obituaries

January 26, 1944 to January 10, 2021

KOKOMO - Robert Dean Boyd, 76, of Kokomo (formerly of Winamac), passed away at 7:39 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 10, at Community Howard Regional Health in Kokomo.

He was born Jan. 26, 1944, in Elwood, to Donivan Eugene "Gene" and Betty Jane Griffith Boyd, the second of seven children. He graduated from Tipton High School in 1962 where he played football and track. On Jan. 26, 1970, he married Stephanie Ellen Holtsclaw, the mother of his son, Roman. On Oct. 20, 1979, he married Carol S. Copeland, his wife of almost 38 years. She died on Aug. 23, 2017.

He is survived by his son Roman Boyd of Kokomo; siblings James (Donna) Boyd of Kokomo, Donna (Marion) Richard of Louisville, Linda (John) Tragesser, David Boyd and Emily Wilson; sister-in-law Carla Boyd; and stepmother Lenora Boyd, all of Tipton; 14 nieces and nephews; 29 grand-nieces and grand-nephews; and two great-grand-nieces and nephews. Also surviving are stepchildren Mark (Betty) Copeland of Winamac and granddaughters, Jessica of Texas and Melissa of Indiana; Jeff (Cheryl) Copeland, of Tetonia, Idaho and granddaughters Maggie and Jodi, with two great-grandchildren, all of Idaho; Gina (Doug) Edwards of Eugene, Oregon and grandsons Leonard of California and Jacob of Texas, with five great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, Adam Copeland, of Rochester, and Barbara Webster and grandsons Sam and Travis, all of Boise, Idaho.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother Lex; and co-worker and close friend, Larry D. Ball.

As a youth, Mr. Boyd played Little League Baseball, was active in 4-H. He was also in FFA and was a member of the Tiptonian yearbook staff. In 1962, he bought a fuel-injected 1958 Corvette and began his lifelong love affair with them, owning two more Corvettes in subsequent years. After high school, he started working at Delco Radio as an apprentice tool and die maker, where he met his co-worker, friend and fellow Corvette owner, Larry Ball. They shot skeet at the Izaak Walton League and hunted pheasant together in Grand Island, Neb. On Feb. 8, 1966, while on his way home from Lorentson Manufacturing Company in Kokomo, where he was also employed, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident in his 1964 Corvette. After an extended hospital stay and brain surgery, he returned to work and continued to live with the effects of his injuries for the remainder of his life. He enjoyed playing pool and loved music and 1960s and 1970s television. He and wife Carol lived in Winamac until 1983, when they moved to Fairfield, Idaho. He raised sheep and chickens, kept bees, panned for gold, shoveled mountains of snow, cut lots of firewood for wintertime and spent time with "Aussie," his Australian Shepherd. In 1995, the couple returned to Winamac.

If you knew Bob and would like to honor his memory, think of him while drinking a cup of coffee, eating a piece of carrot cake, playing a game of pool, making a smart-aleck comment, listening to any song by Harry Chapin, checking the Dow-Jones Industrial Average or GM stock price or by planting a tree or sunflowers, which he loved.

In accordance with his final wishes, Mr. Boyd is being cremated. Due to COVID-19, no services are planned at this time.