Honoring Howard Boyd
By: President, Dan DeMarco
It is with a heavy heart that I report the loss of a tremendous individual who served Ross Township for longer than any other individual: Howard Boyd, who passed away this past Saturday. Howard began his career as a Ross Township Police Officer on September 1, 1966. I recall when I first met Howard as a newly elected commissioner in February of 2000. I had a resident contact me about a street parking complaint. I mentioned it to then 2nd ward commissioner John Adamzcyk, who informed me that I should contact Howard. The details escaped me, but the outcome was the first of many I would experience over the next 24 years: Howard quickly investigated the problem, and the resident was satisfied with the resolution of it by Howard. There never seemed to be a person Howard could not satisfy, or a problem he could not solve. His obituary says it all: “Howard never met a stranger. Throughout his career he handled every situation with kindness and a genuine desire to help. He was always a peacemaker, and he left a positive, lasting impact on the lives of countless people." There is one word to describe Howard: “Love.” He embodied the love Jesus asks of us daily. He did not like to see conflict or disagreements in the community, or among employees or commissioners. He stepped in whenever he could to mitigate and eliminate them. He wanted everyone he encountered in his life and his job to be happy.
He was the embodiment of love, and therefore, it was not surprising that he loved his job. After he retired as a police officer on October 31, 2007, I know he was disappointed. We kept in touch from time to time after he retired, always meeting for lunch or dinner at Rico’s and it is no secret that he was Rico’s best customer. In spring 2016, I had a telephone conversation with Howard in which he alluded to being bored in retirement. You see, Howard was not the type who golfed or traveled for vacations a lot. We planned a day soon to meet for lunch, and when we did, it was clear to me that he wanted to return to work, part-time, again as a code enforcement officer. However, typical of Howard, instead of just saying to me, “I miss the job, I would like to return,” l had to ask him, “Howard, would you like to return to work?” Within a few weeks Howard was back at work, doing what he did best for Ross Township.
Howard always knew the importance of public service, and he knew the importance of it to the elected commissioners of Ross Township. He would promptly investigate, and most often, resolve a problem brought to my attention by a resident. And if he was first aware of the problem, he would call me first, provide me with details, and give me the name and number of the resident. He would say, “Call this person, tell them you are on top of it and that it will be taken care of, that way you get the points.” And true to his words, Howard would come through and take care of it.
There are countless stories I could convey about Howard; about what he did for Ross Township and its residents; the humorous encounters he and I had with residents; and his tremendous knowledge of the history of Ross Township. He was a life-long resident of Ross Township, which I think served as a special connection he and I had, since I became a newborn resident in November 1964, nearly two years prior to his employment as a police officer.
A few weeks ago, I visited Howard at his house. I brought him take-out from Rico’s, and of course included a bottle of red wine, Howard’s favorite. Commissioner Eyster joined me. When it was time to leave, we hugged each other, and he hugged me very hard, to which I reciprocated. It is so hard to put into words what that hug meant without tears in my eyes.
Thank you for your dedicated service to Ross Township Howard and thank you for your friendship. I love you, Howard, and I miss you.
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