Billy Ray Boyd Jr

Billy passed away in his sleep on July 29, 2022. Military funeral services for Billy Ray Boyd, Jr. will be held Friday, August 05 at 10:00 A.M. at Hillside Christian Church – Amarillo Northwest Campus, 600 Tascosa Road in Amarillo, Texas. Officiating will be Jason McLeod. Billy will be laid to rest in Canadian, Texas at the Edith Ford Memorial Cemetery with service starting at 2:30 PM. Visitation will be held at the VFW Post 1475 at 1401 SW 8th Avenue in Amarillo on Thursday, August 4, 2022 from 5 to 7 PM. Billy, family, and friends will gather for socialization and food to celebrate his life and share memories. Everyone is welcome.

Billy was born 12/13/1965 in Perryton, Texas to Billy Ray Boyd, Sr. and Mary Nell Boyd. Billy has been a fighter from day one. Billy and his family moved from Perryton to Utah. While he was in Roosevelt, he attended 1st grade at an Indian school. That cute little blonde headed, blue eyed boy was just a little different at this Indian school. Billy said those little Indian boys would chase him almost every day. He would run ALL the way home because he thought he was going to be scalped. Eventually Bill and Mary Nell moved the family to Wyoming for a while until the winters weather ran them south to Canadian, Texas. Billy finished the rest of his school in Canadian, Texas and graduated in 1984.

Billy’s first civilian jobs were Heath’s Furniture and Heilig-Meyers, where he worked in the warehouse receiving and delivering furniture and then Warehouse Solutions as a Sales manager, after working his way up. In 2008, he moved over to Amarillo ISD and worked in maintenance department until the family moved to Bushland. In 2012 Billy took a job with Bushland ISD as assistant transportation coordinator to be closer to Casey’s school. By 2017, Billy moved away from the school and started at Meridian Oil as a railroad technician and currently is employed with LB Foster with the title of Field Service technician.

Billy was Baptized in the Summer of 1978 by Brother Lennard of the First Baptist Church of Canadian. Billy and Renee attended Amarillo South Church. God gave Billy a servant’s heart; not only did he attend church, but he also volunteered in the children’s ministry. He loved on the kids from broken homes with broken hearts, God put him right where he was needed. During this time living in the South Georgia area, the children would come over to the house and ask if Billy could come out and play. He did; and to this day these young adults now still see Billy as their play mate.

Billy actively served in the United States Navy from 1988 through 1992 and inactive through 1996. Billy spent his 23rd birthday in United States Navy boot camp in San Diego, California. After boot camp he stayed a few more weeks waiting on his A school training for a Radioman. During his enlistment Billy was stationed in Pozzuoli, Italy for two years in PROTO which was part of NATO communications during Desert Storm. Finishing his deployment on the USS Lasalle, a Flag ship, located in the Persian Gulf. He separated from the military December 1992 as an E-4.

Billy met lifelong friends while he was stationed in Pozzuoli, Italy. When Billy arrived in Italy, he was told by his commanding officer to make the barracks homey as possible. At one point, his barracks came up for inspection. Billy was so proud at how his room looked, no empty beer cans, his bed was made, the room was squared away. During the inspection the CO asked him if those were Ninja turtle sheets (Michael Angelo was his favorite of the 4). With a big smile Billy proudly answered, “Yes, Sir.” The CO told him those were not standard military issue. Billy’s reply, “No, sir. You told us to make it homey so we would not get home sick.” The inspection continued and the refrigerator was next, with absolutely no food, wall to wall with cold beer from top to bottom. The CO looked at Billy without saying a word. Billy offered him a cold beer, which he respectfully declined and left. Billy received the room of the MONTH award! Other honors he received is the National Defense Service Medal, two Overseas Service Ribbons, Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and Good Conduct, but the one he was most proud of was the room of the month.

The “Pozzuoli Pukes” is the name for the military men and woman who have served in Pozzuoli, Italy. This group was created by Billy and some of his buddies. If one got in a fight, they all got in a fight. Folklore tells of when one of them punched a marine and got the fight started. The MPs showed up in one door and the Pozzuoli Pukes ran out the other door evading the MPs by jumping into an awaiting van. Hmm, I believe that might have been a scene in a movie once or twice, of course with the names changed to protect the guilty.

There were many adventures while the Lasalle was anchored in Bahrain. Billy bargained with his CO to not stand watch and that he needed to be off for weekend leave. The CO told Billy if he could find him a more comfortable office chair, he would let him go on weekend leave. The wheels started turning, as Billy liked to call himself “Billy-Gets”. If you needed something, Billy was like Klinger in MASH 4077. He would work magic to get it done. Billy was looking high and low on the ship for a nice office chair. It just so happened he found one in hallway and took it to the CO. “Billy-Gets” got his chit for leave in his hand. Before Billy could get off the ship the Admiral was yelling over the intercom, “Who ever took my chair from the hallway needed to return it now!” Billy was running off the ship by the time his CO found him. The CO yelled, “BOYD!” Billy turned his head back and waved his chit in the air and kept on going.

Billy was preceded in death by his father, Billy Ray Boyd, Senior and mother, Mary Nell Boyd.

Survivors include his soul mate Renee Boyd and one son Casey Blake Boyd, both of Amarillo, a sister and brother–in-law, James and Lisa Williams of Canadian, Texas, a brother and sister-in-law Rodney and Linda Boyd of Odessa, Texas and 65 nieces and nephews. Other brother and sister in laws include, Joe and Nancy Morris of Gruver, Len Morris of Baytown, and Scott and Sherry McWilliams of Dumas.

Billy loved everyone and everyone loved Billy, except for maybe a few Marines.

Charities close to Billy’s Heart: Hope Lives Here, P.O. Box 20811, Amarillo, Texas 79114, healingheroes@hlhtexas.org, https://www.hltexas.org/ and VFW Post 1475 located at 1401 SW 8th Ave, Amarillo, Texas 79101. 

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