Obituary for Tallmadge (Tom) L. Boyd Jr. Tallmadge L. (Tom) Boyd, Jr. died Sunday, July 15th, leaving behind an adoring family and countless friends. Tom graduated from the Taipei American School in Taiwan in 1964, then earned a political science degree from LeMoyne College in 1968, and married his wife of 49 years, Julianne O’Connor Boyd, in 1969. Tom had a long career at American Airlines in New York and El Paso, Texas.
Upon retirement, he devoted himself to service. He spent nine years as a full-time volunteer at Loretto Academy in El Paso, and upon moving to North Texas in 2009, shared his talents with local schools including Holy Family, St. Monica, and St. Joseph. Tom found his true vocation as a force for good in the world in small but meaningful ways.
A devout lifelong Catholic, he coached youth sports, spent Friday nights helping run church bingo games, chaperoned class trips and brought extraordinary patience to teaching people how to swim, how to drive, how to read, and how to interpret Yankees baseball box scores. He never missed an opportunity to attend a grandchild’s game or school performance, or to offer a helping hand, a kind word, or a gentle joke — to loved ones and strangers alike. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Tom kept his speaking voice strong through the speech therapy program at Parkinson Voice Project, where he also found wonderful friends and renewed hope.
He remained joyfully active as a member of PVP’s “Loud Crowd” choir for the rest of his life. In addition to his wife, Tom is survived by his daughter Krys Boyd, son-in-law Matt DeMoss, and grandchildren Heather DeMoss, Harrison DeMoss, Ben Villaseñor, Clara Villaseñor, of Dallas; daughter Laura Boyd DeSmeth, son-in-law Dennis DeSmeth and grandson Jackson DeSmeth, of Dallas; daughter Maureen Boyd Szostek, son-in-law Jim Szostek and grandchildren Kaitlyn and Levi Szostek of Fort Worth, TX; brother, Michael Boyd and sister-in-law Marian Boyd of Evergreen, CO. A vigil service will be held on Thursday, July 26 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas.
Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Friday, July 27 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Monica Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his honor to Parkinson Voice Project or Loretto Academy. Please see the links to the organizations below: www.
parkinsonvoiceproject.org/Donate www. loretto.org/support-loretto/ways-to-give To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Tallmadge (Tom) L. Boyd Jr. please visit our Sympathy Store.
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