Agnes Boyd

Agnes Delores Boyd, 82, Bismarck, died May 28, 2010, at the Baptist Home in Bismarck, ND. A private memorial service will be held on June 26, 2010, at the Glencoe Cemetery, south of Bismarck. Agnes was born on February 21, 1928, in Garrison, ND, to John and Elizabeth Esslinger Boger. She grew up on the family farm in Garrison and graduated from Garrison High School in 1947. After graduation, she moved to Bismarck and worked for the Department of Health. She married John Chester Boyd on December 24, 1949, in Bismarck. As a homemaker, Agnes was devoted to her seven children, who were fortunate to have homemade bread, jellies, jams, and fresh produce from the gardens she tended so carefully. She was also known for her beautiful flower gardens, especially her rose gardens. In 1986, Agnes and John retired to Deming, NM, where they continued their love of nature and organic gardening with fruit trees, roses, and irises. Agnes made sure that their desert oasis was a welcome home for all the wildlife, including hummingbirds, quail, her “katzen,” and even the bees; they too had a special place to sip water on their rounds around the orchard. Whoever came to visit didn’t leave without a beautiful bouquet of roses or a basket of apples, peaches, or pears from the orchard to take home with them. Agnes’s children would say that Mom was “green” and “eco-friendly” long before it was a popular lifestyle. Agnes is survived by her daughters, Marjorie Bruce Kimball, Bismarck, Cathryn Tom Lynch, Minot, ND, and Janice Boyd, Bismarck; her sons, Douglas Boyd, Omaha, NE, William Becky Boyd, Bismarck, and Steven Mary Boyd, Moorhead, MN; her sister, Betty Mautz, Garrison, ND; her granddaughters, Jodie Eli Howry, Otsego, MN, Victoria and Anne Boyd, Moorhead, MN, Christina and Stephanie Lynch, Minot, ND, and Haleigh Springan, Bismarck; and her great-grandson, Mason Howry, Otsego, MN. Agnes was preceded in death by her husband, John; her son, Kevin David; her parents; and her sister, Jean Swartz. Agnes’s family wishes to thank Brenda Peterson and her staff on third floor north of the Baptist Home for their attentive, professional care while she was a resident there. Memorials in Agnes’s name may be made to the Central Dakota Humane Society, Mandan, ND.

Agnes Boyd

February 21, 1928 - May 28, 2010