Frances Grace Boyd's Obituary
Frances Grace (Gammon) Boyd, 93, of Bentonville passed away June 6, 2023, at Circle of Life Hospice, surrounded by family members.
She was born Aug. 9, 1929 in Watonga, Okla., the daughter of Ruth (Wolfe) and Paul Gammon. She lived with her family in Oklahoma City until she was 10, when they moved to Northwest Arkansas. She graduated from Vaughn High School in 1947. Two years later, she met the love of her life, James Boyd. They were married Dec. 23, 1949. They settled in Bentonville, where James taught agriculture and shop classes and was the Future Farmers of America faculty sponsor at Bentonville High School.
Frances earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas in 1961. She worked at TRW Wendt-Sonis in Rogers and as a library assistant. Frances and James were members of First Presbyterian Church in Bentonville, where Frances sang in the choir and worked on the church’s scholarship and history committees. She was also a member and Past Worthy Matron of the Bentonville chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. She enjoyed large family gatherings, traveling, reading and sewing. She was known for her constant smile and kindness, and her ability to bring a ray of sunshine into any room.
Frances was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her brother, Bob Gammon; and her sister, Carol Edsall.
Survivors include her son, James (Jim) Boyd and his wife, Terri, of Tulsa, Okla.; four daughters, Amy Bradshaw and her husband, Don, of Bentonville, Mary Cummings and her husband, Mike, of Prairie Grove, Jane Boyd of Grapevine, Texas, and Anita Turner and her husband, Rusty, of Rogers; 10 grandchildren, Jimmy Boyd and his wife, Christina, of Claremore, Okla., John Boyd and his partner, Laura Cothran, of Tulsa, Billy Boyd of Tulsa, Melissa Boyd of Fayetteville, Jennifer Bradshaw of Bentonville, Kelly Bradshaw and his wife, Lyndsay, of Bentonville, Scott Cummings and his wife, Cristin, of Alexandria, Va., Eric Cummings of Fayetteville, Stephen Turner and his wife, Amber, of Benton, Kansas, and Matthew Turner and his wife, Brittany, of Springdale; 13 great-grandchildren, McKenzie Boyd of Claremore, Katelyn and Emily Bradshaw of Bentonville, Elli and Oscar Cummings and Aslynn and Hunter Harber of Alexandria, Isaac, Caroline, Carson and Lilly Cummings of Fayetteville, and Eliza and Nathaniel Turner of Benton, Kansas; and many nieces and nephews.
A private burial service will be Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at the Fayetteville National Cemetery. A public celebration of Frances Boyd’s life will take place 11:00 AM, July 14, 2023 at Bentonville First Presbyterian Church.
Memorials may be made to the James and Frances Boyd Scholarship Fund at Bentonville First Presbyterian Church, 901 N.E. “J” St. in Bentonville, Ark., 72712, or Circle of Life Hospice, 1201 N.E. Legacy Parkway, Bentonville, Ark., 72712.
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