Harold Boyd
Harold Biglow Boyd, 88, of Aeneas Valley, died March 1, 2009, the result of a fall at his home.
Harold was born Nov. 22, 1920 to Harold and Dorothy Boyd in Seattle. He was very proud of his heritage, one of the original Seattle families. He loved to share his family history with anybody that would take the time to listen. Harold knew where he came from and always knew where he was going.
He graduated from Ballard High. He attended University of Washington for a semester, but decided that wasn’t for him. He applied for a job with the FBI in Washington, D.C. and was hired. One Sunday afternoon standing on the steps of the White House, Harold heard the news that Pearl Harbor was bombed. Like his father and mother before him, both veterans of World War I, Harold knew what he had to do. He signed up to serve our country. With a letter and the blessings of J. Edgar Hoover, Harold was off to the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Harold trained as a pilot. On one training mission just out of Ephrata he claimed his crew accidently dropped a training bomb on the Davenport Post Office, but if the government says it didn’t happen, it didn’t. Before graduation from flight school, Harold married his sweetheart, Mary Cox. Harold’s first official assignment was England. Their first big mission, Reggensberg Germany. Assignment complete, the plane did not have enough fuel to get them back. Forced to land, Harold and crew taken prisoners. Harold spent the rest of the war as a POW in Stalag Luft III, Germany.
After his release, Harold went home to his wife, Mary and 2 1/2-year-old son, Richard. Within the next year, his second son, John, was born. Harold was a successful businessman. At one time, Harold and Mary owned a dude ranch in Wyoming, where they catered to many influential people one of them being John L. Lewis. Harold’s last venture at age 77 was to buy land in Aeneas Valley. With the help of his son, John, bare land became an alfalfa farm.
Harold made many friends in the Okanogan Valley, in the short time he was here he made it a better place to live. Harold was a man of integrity. He cared about his neighbors and their well-being. He was a good friend.
Harold leaves behind him his sons: Richard and wife Sheila of Van Nuys, Calif., and John of Tonasket; four grandchildren; three great grandchildren; and his best friend, Ann Cramer.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a special Aunt Lora; his wife, Mary; his second wife, Louise; and brother, Don, a decorated war hero.
A celebration of Harold’s life will be held on March 14, 2009 at Harold’s home in Aeneas Valley at 1:30 p.m. with Military Honor at 2 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Armed Forces Legacy Project, PO Box 854, Tonasket, WA 98855.
