Loyd Boyer

            Loyd Boyer was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, February 22, 1936.  Loyd’s parents, William and Blanche (Stipp) Boyer, lived in the small rustic town of Timber, Oregon.  William and Blanche welcomed Loyd as the fourth of six children into the Boyer family.  Hardship arose early in Loyd’s life when, at the age of six his father, William, died.  These early years in Oregon are some of the most influential years that defined Loyd as an individual.  Loyd learned early the value of family, hard work, accountability, responsibility, and financial independence.  Values that would define Loyd as an individual his entire life.

                After eighth grade Loyd had finished his formal education.  Loyd started working in his early teens, to help provide for his immediate family, and provide a level of independence.  In his later teens Loyd followed his brother, Donald, to Chester, Montana for agricultural employment opportunities.  Always demonstrating a strong work ethic Loyd would take work wherever he could find it, working days, evenings, and weekends.  These early jobs include, Thieltges Farms north of Chester, Wanken Farms near Shelby, Chester Trading Company, and the Liberty County Road Department

In these early years Loyd did find some time to enjoy being a young adult.  Loyd would meet his soon to be wife, a young Gloria Hoover Lund.  Courtship was quick for the young couple, whom were married on May 25, 1955.  The young couple would soon have themselves a family with the birth of five children; Juanita, Darla, Lana, Dana, and Rodney.

                Loyd would spend most of his life as a farmer, operating Richard & Esther Eveland Farm just a couple of miles west of Chester.  As a mostly lifelong farmer, Loyd was able to pass along his work ethic to his children and grandchildren.  While work was always important to Loyd, he most enjoyed time with friends and family.  As life would eventually settle down, Loyd would find time for evening water skiing at the lake.  In the winter Loyd enjoyed snowmobiling.  He spent many winters snowmobiling, until into his early 80’s, at which point he considered it to be too cold.

                In 1988, Loyd fulfilled a long-held dream.  The dream of having his own cabin in the woods.  Loyd’s cabin was built in the Little Belt mountains of Montana, near White Sulphur Springs.  Loyd enjoyed every aspect of building his own cabin, picking the site, clearing the land, building the roads, designing the floor plan, and ultimately standing up the building with help from his friends and family.  Loyd’s cabin was by all accounts his happy place.  A place where he could work as much as he wanted to work, relax as much as he wanted to relax, and share the treasure that he had created with his friends and family.

                Loyd was a proud member of the Chester community.  He spent many years in a completely volunteer role, running cable television lines to the homes within Chester.  Supporting local business in the community was important to Loyd.  It was common for him to leave behind bags of candy while visiting these businesses.  In 1996 Loyd ran for, and was elected, as a County Commissioner of Liberty County for a six-year term.

                Late in life, Loyd was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.  Loyd was able to live independently with the disease for many years.  Most of these years he still enjoyed everything he always had, the cabin, and his family.  In 2021, the disease got to the point where Loyd could no longer live alone.  In the fall of 2021, Loyd moved to Aspen Valley, a memory care facility in Boise, Idaho.  At Aspen Valley he met and be-friended some of the most caring individuals in Loyd’s life.  Friends that were with him and cared for him until the very end.  Loyd passed September 20, 2023 due to complications with his condition.

                Survivors include three children; Rodney (Susan) Boyer of East Helana, Lana Boyer of Great Falls, and Dana (Dale) Lalum of Chester: four grand-children; Caitlin Boyer, Damon (Lacee) Lalum, Devan (Evan) Schlotfeldt, and Dustin (Janelle) Lalum:  six great grand-children; Wrigley Lalum, Rylee Lalum, Siena Lalum, Preston Lalum, Mya Schlotfeldt, and Zak Schlotfeldt:  brother Delbert, sister Lorena, and sister Grace.  As well and many nieces and nephews.

                Loyd was preceded in death by his wife Gloria: both parents, William and Blanche Boyer: Mother and Father in-law, Loyd and Edna Lund: 2 children, Juanita Boyer and Darla Boyer:  brother Donald, and sister Caroline.       

                A graveside service will be held at the Chester Cemetery, 10:30, October 14.  A lunch will be held immediately following the service at the Liberty County Senior Center.