Donald Basil Boyden

Donald Basil Boyden

Donald Basil Boyden, who grew up in Berne, was a quiet man with a strong faith who loved the simple things like dinners at home and outings with family. He died on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Vermont, where he had married and raised a family. He was 75.

“He wasn’t a bragger or a big talker,” said his sister Belva Boyden.

“He was kind of quiet but a real hard worker, a strong work ethic. He took good care of his family,” said son D. Brian Boyden.

As a young man, Mr. Boyden served in the Air Force from 1960 to 1964 and was stationed in Hawaii for much of that time. His son said that his father recalled those as some of the best years of his life, “traveling and being in the Air Force, and seeing Japan and the Philippines.” His sister  recalled that while in the military he regularly sent gifts to both her and their mother, including muumuus from Hawaii and kimonos from Japan.

Mr. Boyden returned to Berne regularly to care for the little house where he had grown up and where his mother still lived.  He would put up storm windows in the fall and take them down in spring, and plant a garden for her each Memorial Day, his son said.

“He probably only moved from Berne because he met my mom, who was from here, and her parents gave them some land, and they built a house on the land,” said his son.

Mr. Boyden was born in Albany on June 2, 1940, the son of Donald Hatch Boyden and Margaret Ethel (née Hemmett) Boyden. He attended Berne-Knox-Westerlo schools and served as a firefighter, like his own father, during high school.

He married Myrtle Lois Chatfield on Dec. 28, 1969. They built a home in Johnson, Vermont, where they went on to raise a family.

For more than 20 years, Mr. Boyden lovingly attended to the needs of patients at the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury, until his retirement.

He was a member of the Lamoille Valley Church of the Nazarene “as long as I can remember,” said his son, “probably 40 years or more” — participating regularly in a small group Bible study that he also led for several years.

One of his greatest pleasures, said his son, was vacationing with family. Mr. Boyden and his wife had a timeshare on Cape Cod, and the family went there every year. They often went to see family in Berne and Voorheesville and visited Thacher Park, Howe Caverns, Cooperstown, and other sites in the Capital District and surrounding area.

“It was important to him that everybody was all set, all of us kids and whatnot,” said his son. “He always was worried about other people’s needs.”

****

Donald Basil Boyden is survived by his children and grandchildren: D. Brian Boyden and his wife, Michelle (née Simpson) Boyden and their four children, Joel, Jesse, Jamie, and Joanna; Julene Boyden and her daughter, Ebony McDonald; and Russell “Rusty” Boyden. 

He is also survived by his sister Belva Boyden of Berne; his sister Barbara Boyden Spence and her husband, Ken Spence, and their children, Matt and Tim.

His dear wife Myrtle died just 10 months before him. And a fourth child, the Boydens’ daughter, Mystelle “Misty” Alise, died at four months of age in 1982. The family takes comfort in knowing that Mr. Boyden is reunited with them.

Funeral services were held Sunday, Feb. 21, at Lamoille Valley Church of the Nazarene in Johnson. Faith Funeral Home handled the arrangements. Online condolences may be made by visiting their website, at www.faithfh.net.

Memorial contributions may be made to Lamoille Home Health and Hospice, 54 Farr Avenue, Morrisville, VT  05661.

—Elizabeth Floyd Mair 

More Obituaries

  • VOORHEESVILLE — Paul Richard Barrowman, a Vietnam veteran who worked as a carpenter and craftsman, was generous with his family and friends.

    He died on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at home after a short illness. He was 75.

  • Barbara Hohenstein Taylor

    “Barbara Hohenstein Taylor was called home to be with the Lord on October 25, 2023,” her family wrote in a tribute. She was 81.

  • EAST BERNE — Christina Anne Baker, a social worker who liked spending time with her family, died peacefully on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. She was 74.

    Born in Albany, she was the daughter of the late Margaret and Joseph Welsh Sr.

    Her husband, Michael D. Baker Sr., died before her.

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.