Obituary of David B. Boyd
David B. Boyd of Woodstock died on June 4, 2017. He was born in New York City on February 6, 1939, his family moved to Woodstock in 1943. He attended Woodstock Public Schools from 1945-1957, including 4 years in the East Woodstock one room house 4 grades schoolhouse with lacked indoor plumbing and central heat. One wood stove, one jug of daily (from a neighbor) fresh water, one outdoor unisex privy, one swing contributed by the town plumber, one frozen lunch box (the storage room was not heated), and one teacher (25 students more or less), sufficed. Health Care: Dr. Pike was just down the street, with his apothecary, no need for the drug store. David graduated from Woodstock Academy in 1957, Bowdoin College in Brunswick Maine, Cum Laude in 1961, the University of CT School of Law in Hartford in 1964, from thence passed the CT Bar Association in 1964. David married Joan F. McWilliam in 1962, and their first child Christopher was born in 1964. He acquired his juris doctor degree, his license to practice law, and his first son within a few months.
David practiced law in Putnam 1964-2010. He served as an Assistant State's Attorney (then called Prosecutor) for Windham County and the University of CT in Storrs (during the Vietnam War era) from 1968-1971 which afforded him considerable trial experience. He served as Secretary Treasurer of the Windham County Bar Association 1968-2011, overseeing and participating in numerous petty and sometimes onerous issues. David and Joan's second son Jonathan was born in 1969, and was therefore taken to their new summer home in Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard, the town where Jonathan still resides with his wife Mary and their daughter Emily. David was active in numerous Woodstock community affairs, served on the Woodstock Board of Education for 6 years, and the Woodstock Academy Board of Trustees for over 10 years, three of which its President. (1979-1982).
David's interest included vegetable and flower gardening, boating and beach bumming on the Vineyard where he raked clams and pulled lobster traps in Quitsa, Menemsha and Stonewall Ponds from his Boston Whaler, and sailing on sunfish and on one occasion a square rigger (now called Tall Ship). And of course Vineyard partying with some very notable, some not so much, and some not at all. David and Joan travelled extensively nationally, internationally, especially in Europe, North America and the Caribbean during the course of their long marriage.
David is survived by his wife Joan, sons Christopher and Jonathan, Granddaughter Emily, his sister Heather, and brother John.
A private memorial service will be held in the future. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Smith and Walker Funeral Home, Putnam, CT In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Woodstock Volunteer Fire Association." Share a memory at www.smithandwalkerfh.com
