Bryan Baxter “BB” Boyd, 81, passed away on January 27, 2021.
Services will be Saturday, February 6, 2021, at 10:00 am, at Early First Baptist Church. Interment will follow at Eastlawn Cemetery.
Visitation will be Friday, February 5, 2021, from 6-8 pm, at Heartland Funeral Home in Early.
Bryan was born in Brownwood, to parents Sidney and Lottie McMullen Boyd of Indian Creek. Bryan attended Early High School all twelve years, excelling in football and track, running in the 880 and mile relay at the state track meet his senior year. One of his football teammates, Jerry Don Lancaster, became a lifetime friend. Bryan graduated from Early ISD in 1956.
After accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, Bryan was baptized at Early First Baptist Church in 1959. He later taught a youth class and continued to attend church there the rest of his life.
Bryan’s cousin, Moe Boyd, introduced him to her classmate, Janie Barclay, while in high school. They began to date and later, as students at Howard Payne, they married in 1960. Bryan and Janie celebrated their 60th anniversary last December 17th. As Bryan and Janie began dating, he quickly bonded with her parents, Harold and Mary Barclay. Many dates were with her parents playing games, fishing, or hunting. Before dating, Janie introduced Bryan to her cousin, James Foster. Their close friendship involved many fishing trips sometimes including James’ brothers, Steve and Randy. As Bryan and Janie dated, she noticed how caring and considerate he was with her younger sisters, Ann and Donna, and how much he loved children.
He and Janie were overjoyed when they became parents of Kris in 1968 and Jan in 1970. He was a good father. It was a priority with him to watch Kris’ activities in sports and to attend Jan’s dance and piano recitals when she was young and later in youth fair. He welcomed their friends into their home and loved cooking for them. Many times Jan and Kris’ friends or cousins went with the family on snow skiing trips and hunting and fishing. He was excited about the marriages of Jan to John and Kris to Dana and the blessings of grandchildren that came a few years later. The grandchildren say their BB taught them to play ball, shoot guns, fish, how to drive, and he loved to cook for them. He loved watching the three grandsons play games, especially football. Grands looked forward to Grandkids Vacations with Nana and BB each year that began when they were 4, 4 and 6. Trips ranged from road trips to the East Coast to Yellowstone Park. They usually included the national parks and historical/patriotic sites. A new level of happiness came with granddaughter Collins, as he included cooking lessons, tea parties, long ATV trail rides and even allowed her to give him manicures. His last blessing was a great grandson, Easton, doing outdoor cooking for his first birthday party this past November. He also loved his three sisters, Lavell, Wanell, and Sylvia, and delighted in having them and their families for meals, even this past fall.
In addition to parenting his own two children, he and Janie welcomed a friend of Jan’s as an older teen girl to live in their home for a year and a half. Later, with an empty nest, a teenage boy, Tim Murillo, joined their family as he finished high school and went to college and became a lifelong friend.
In recent years Bryan appreciated a talented young friend, Juan Gutierrez. Juan helped him make his de-seeders, repaired his autos, took care of his animals and so much more. Bryan was strong in his belief system of God first, family and country. With his John Wayne views of integrity and respect, he endeavored to teach this to his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and students.
Bryan first coached Little League Baseball (the Senators) in Brownwood while attending Howard Payne College. After graduation, with a BS degree in Education and Physical Education, he began his teaching/coaching career at Lometa ISD. In 1964, Bryan and Janie moved to Stanton, Tx where he was privileged to coach alongside Bill Milam, who had coached him in high school. During his five years at Stanton, he became head coach and athletic director. He then coached in Hondo before returning to Early ISD as head coach and athletic director in 1970. After leaving Early ISD and having been inspired by his father-in-law, Harold Barclay, he pursued a second career of his own used car business and later partnering with Allen Driskill in buying and selling heavy equipment.
A few years later, he was asked by dear friend, Tom Howard, superintendent at Zephyr ISD, to start a 6-man football program at Zephyr. After a few most enjoyable years there coaching and teaching, he retired once more from coaching and joined Gayland Schrank, a steadfast friend, in building turkey farms in southeast central Texas towns. Being an entrepreneur, he also owned and operated a carwash, a mobile restaurant, sold ATVs, and flipped houses and real estate.
His last business venture was making de-seeders and selling them at craft shows, a business most rewarding because of meeting people and making many lasting friends in that family atmosphere. He always enjoyed the Sunday morning devotional times before the craft show began. His part-time job allowed him time to play dominoes every Tuesday with his circle of friends at Rising Star. For many years he was an avid golfer at Brownwood Country Club.
He loved all card games, playing dominoes, and enjoyed years of playing ping pong and weekly checkers with Dr. Cravens, his former Howard Payne professor. With Dr. Cravens as his mentor, Bryan placed in the top five at the State of Texas Checkers Championship Game. Bryan also loved hunting and fishing and enjoyed these outdoor activities from a very early age and throughout his senior years.
Another of his many interests was helping and rescuing stray or neglected animals. One rescue was a tiny abandoned feral pig named Babe, that became a family pet for 2 years. There was also a neglected horse he fed for two years, many dogs, including a dog for two years until family could move it, and even until his recent sickness he cared for a cat at a nearby farmhouse and 5 rescue dogs that became family pets.
Bryan is survived by his wife, Janie Haroletta Barclay Boyd of Early, son Kris Boyd and wife Dana of Hurst, daughter Jan Ward and husband John of Dublin, grandchildren Lauren Ward of Dublin, Kristi Norwood and husband Andrew of Dublin, grandsons Bryce, Brady and Brock Boyd of Hurst, great granddaughter Collins Ward of Dublin, great grandson Easton of Dublin, sisters Sylvia Cox of Brownwood, Lavell Ford of College Station, and Wynell Bell and husband George of Hutto, nieces Kathy Eoff and husband Ronnie of Early, Sharon Coleman of Early, Tammy Martine and husband Mike of College Station, Miki Love and husband Shannon of Killeen and family, and Dawn Ann Wilson and husband of Stephenville and family, nephews Loyd Bell and wife Joyce of Lake Brownwood and Bryan Wayne Cox and wife Misty of Stanton, Shawn Stringer and wife Kayte of Plano, Jeff Stringer and wife Natalie and family, sister-in-laws Ann Ellis and husband Jerry and Donna Gordon and husband Bill and a host of friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Sidney and Lottie Boyd and nephews Johnny Cox and Sidney Bell.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Early First Baptist Children’s Shoebox Ministry or Early First Baptist Food Pantry.
Condolences, memories and tributes can be offered to the family online at heartlandfuneralhome.net