Clifford Boyd

Mr. Clifford Boyd, 79, of Ararat, VA, passed away Tuesday, September 15, 2009, at Northern Hospital of Surry County. Mr. Boyd was born July 26, 1930, in Patrick County, VA, son of the late Charlie Harvey and Sarah Margaret Gwynn Boyd. Clifford served our country in the United States Army during World War II, enlisting at the age of 15. After his Army service, he joined the United States Air Force and served in the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War. He retired as a Senior Master Sergeant with 29 years of service. He was a member of the Veterans of Underage Military Service and was featured in America's Youngest Warriors, a book of stories contributed by men and women who served in the armed forces of the United States before they attained the legal age for enlistment. He obtained an associate degree in criminal justice from Surry Community College. After his retirement, Clifford served as the supervising deputy of the Patrick County Sheriff's Department for 7 years. Mr. Boyd was a charter member of the Willis Gap Community Center and the Willis Gap Toastmasters. He was a past president of the Ararat Volunteer Fire Department and an award-winning skeet shooter and a genealogist. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Violet Jewell Chappell Boyd of the home; two daughters and a son-in-law, Cheryl Denise Boyd of Mount Airy and Sandra Louise and Danny DeWitt of Roanoke, VA; a son and daughter-in-law, Clifford S. and Rebecca Boyd of Matthews; four grandchildren, Christina Elliott and Lee Elliott, both of Roanoke, VA, and Anna Boyd and Andrew Boyd, both of Matthews; five sisters and three brothers-in-law, Louette Bolen of Cana, VA, Josie and Roy Epperson and Annie Johnson, all of Ararat, VA, Judy and Jimmy Johnson of Walkertown, and Margaret Ann Boyd and David Brown of Winston-Salem; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Clark and Shirley Boyd of Ararat, VA, and Donald and Christa Boyd of Fayetteville; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Mr. Boyd was preceded in death by three brothers, Jesse Boyd, Monroe Boyd, and Roger Boyd. The funeral service will be held Friday, September 18, 2009, at 11:00 AM at Moody Funeral Home Chapel in Mount Airy, with the Rev. Todd E. Byrd officiating. Burial will follow in the Mount Bethel Moravian Church Cemetery, with full military honors by the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Honor Guard. The family will receive friends Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the funeral home. Flowers will be accepted, or memorial contributions can be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.