In Memory of

Truman

Edward

Boyd

Obituary for Truman Edward Boyd

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 12, 2019, Truman Edward Boyd passed away quietly in his sleep at the age of 86. Truman was born on October 10, 1932, in Port Arthur, Texas, to Milton and Esther (Cramton) Boyd. Truman served in and was honorably discharged from the United States Army in the Chicago, Illinois, area, where he met and married Winifred Flora Mary Wolters on May 27, 1955. He and Winifred made their early home in Chicago and raised a family of three sons, Milton, Charles and Andrew, and one daughter, Kathryn.
On November 23, 1963, Truman and family moved to the outskirts of the small Illinois town of Monee, just thirty minutes south of Chicago. Through 1973, the young couple nurtured their children in this uniquely benign, idyllic community, sandwiched between small town America and the cornfield countryside. While the children mowed yards, batted baseballs and kicked cans, Winifred covered the homemaker’s duties, and Truman honed his skills as an outside salesman, pitching mostly office products in the northern Illinois-Indiana-Ohio region. Truman approached his work with structure, purpose and tenacity. His dedication and natural people skills garnered regular praise and respect from both employers and clients alike.
Different from the bustling metropolis that was Chicago, Monee provided a quiet, safe, and measured environment for the kids to grow up under apple trees, collecting spiders and snakes, swatting fireflies, and Boy/Girl Scouting. With the family coonhound Jo-Jo, and his successor, a dog named Pig, wagging and barking in time to the ever-present soundtrack of WLS Top-40 radio, Truman and Winifred had arranged the perfect setting for the Boyd family’s sprouting.
Early on, Truman’s appreciation for the period’s music inspired Milton’s ears and his 45-RPM-seeking wallet, and the whole family fell quickly in line. At first, Truman enjoyed classic country acts like Roy Acuff, Hank Williams, and George Jones, but later he warmed up to pop artists including The Seekers, The Carpenters, and unavoidably The Beatles - if not for their shaggy hair, than for their slow melodies. In sports, though Truman was never an avid fanatic, he often found Cubs baseball games to be a suitable background sound or sight. More importantly, it was Truman who, having dabbled in baseball as a youngster, introduced and encouraged Milton toward the sport, and Charles soon tagged along to the makeshift diamonds for many a “sandlot” game.
Truman and the family would schedule daytrips to Chicago for Greek food, and to visit Grandma and Grandpa Wolters in Evanston. And always with Win, many an expedition was made to Wrigley Field to hobnob with Cubs announcer Jack Brickhouse (Hey-Hey!), and to witness Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub in the flesh, and all his Cubbie cohorts go for the win, yet always settling for annual also-rans. In the early ‘70s, every Christmastime Truman and the tribe would pile into the Chevy and set out for toasty Texas, fleeing the rigors of snow, school and work. Stayovers at “Grampa Milton and Gramma Esther’s,” including reacquainting visits with Truman’s sisters’ families, in tandem with expeditions to the Texas valley and Matamoros, Mexico – all pushed the enjoyment scale to ever higher peaks. The Texas/Mexico vacations provided Truman and the Boyds with high-caliber merriment and countless fond and indelible memories.
In late 1973, Truman took advantage of a job opportunity and transferred with family and Pig in tow to the big city proper: Houston, Texas. In the near term, some culture shock greeted the five tag-alongs, yet with resilience and fortitude, they settled in and flourished. Truman had long ago instilled in the kids a most essential southern tool, a spoken expression, wielded often in conversation by all polite and respectful Texans - the instinctive use of the simple but necessary phrases, “yes ma’am” and “yes sir.” Of course, Truman was Texas-born and already big-city seasoned, and so never skipped a beat and embraced the challenges offered up by Houston and suburban living, all while Winifred tended to improving her bowling game and volunteering at the hospital.
Soon the first jobs, cars, graduations, colleges, weddings, and arrival of the first grandchild, each in turn marked the calendar for the Boyds during the 1970s and ‘80s, and the Boyd lore swelled. But as is the rule, sorrow and tragedy played their parts. Truman lost his mother, Esther, in late 1974, then his father, Milton, in 1981. Close friends, in-laws, nephews, and a niece passed during these years, many of them so much sooner than their age alone suggested. In the middle 1980s, Truman’s and Winifred’s son Andy, while embarking on a promising career serving the community as a proud and engaged school teacher, became stricken with nagging illnesses and was eventually diagnosed with AIDS (HIV infection). Exhaustingly, with the family’s support and encouragement, did Andy fight his sickness, but on May 17, 1989, he abruptly and finally succumbed to the disease. Truman, in spite of a stern manner and method for disciplining the kids, fostered and unconditionally loved them all, as was never more evident than during Andy’s illness, and upon his passing at the age of just 28.
About 1991-‘92, Truman accepted an early retirement offering from his employer, Esselte Pendaflex. Truman enjoyed retirement in simple ways, taking city bus rides into the town for whatever was the day’s mission, and by night taking neighborhood walks with his aging canine friend, Chè. An annual highlight for Truman, nicknamed “Bubba” by sisters Betty and Margaret, was the summertime Bolivar gatherings, all sharing beach house, family, food and amusement, hosted by Betty and her family. Truman and Winifred were also frequently entertained in the Las Vegas casinos, where Truman fancied himself a confident poker player, but alas, the losses offset the wins to deny him his millions.
No surprise that with all his car travels, Truman was considered quite the excellent driver and was fond of knowing his way around the old folded-paper gas station maps, which he collected. In all his travels and interactions, Truman always greeted and treated friend and stranger with genuine southern courtesy and respect. If you were out to dinner with Truman, you’d see him protest vigorously if anyone tried to reach for and pay the check. Truman always regarded Milton’s wife, Cindy, as though she was a second daughter, and Truman took great interest in his grandkids, Christopher and Ariel, and their development. He also cherished his visits and conversations with his hometown friends Tim and Pat Doucet, relocated to Austin, Texas.
Did somebody mention food? Truman always had a keen interest in preparing and eating good food, presumably set in motion by his mother’s southern style cooking - the Illinois Boyd children especially favored Grandma’s Texas-sized biscuits, but not so much her (what’s that!?) parsnips. While ever the frugalist, Truman was in constant search of a better Greek, Chinese and Tex-Mex cuisine. Truman’s favorite cook for certain was Julia Child, The French Chef, as her shows were watched religiously, her speaking mannerisms learned and repeated - “bon appetite!” Truman’s cooking competence got off the ground while serving the Army as a cook in Illinois. One of Truman’s best dishes was a splendid lamb stew, and he enjoyed outside grilling accompanied perhaps by a Miller High Life beer.
Truman’s health began to decline significantly in the 2000-teens, as he suffered from knee, back and heart ailments. In the last three years, he was often confined to chair and bed, eventually requiring nursing home care. The family would like to thank the Memorial Hermann – Memorial City Hospital, the Parkway Place skilled nursing facility, and both the Autumn Years, and the Focus Care of Humble Assisted Living Facilities for Truman’s compassionate care in his final year. Truman, with his sometimes vexing persona and mannerisms, will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him, for all the days and years to come.
Truman is preceded in death by his father, Milton Boyd, and his mother, Esther (Cramton) Boyd, and his son Andrew Boyd. Truman is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Winifred, his two sons Milton and his wife Cynthia, and Charles, his daughter Kathryn and her husband Matthew; his grandchildren Christopher and Ariel; his two sisters, Elizabeth and Margaret; his sister-in-law, Karen; and three nephews and three nieces.
A service to celebrate his life will be held at 12:00 noon on Friday, March 1st, 2019 at:
Rosewood Funeral Home (Chapel)
2602 South Houston Ave.
Humble, Texas 77396

Interment will be witnessed at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 4th, 2019 at:
Greenlawn Memorial Park
3900 Twin City Highway
Groves, Texas 77619

In lieu of flowers, tribute donations can be made in memory of Truman Boyd to the Alzheimer’s Association, online at www.alz.org/get-involved-now/donate, or by phone, or mail. For the services, the Boyd family will wear respectful casual attire and invite visitors to be comfortable with the same.