Laverne W. Boyd

It is with love and great sadness that the family of Laverne Warner Boyd announces her death following a brief illness. She was born in southern Indiana April 22, 1923 and died peacefully at home with her daughter by her side, in Lake Elsinore, CA on August 11, 2024. A graveside inurnment will be held Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 1 pm in Floral Park Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana

She is survived by her children Stephanie C. Boyd, Kevin W. Boyd (Catherine) and her grandchildren Adam M. Boyd (Sarah) and Alex W. Boyd (Alexandra) and her great-grandson James W. Boyd. She was preceded in death by her parents Theodore Stanley Warner and Lossie Peters Warner, her sister Marilyn Warner Abigt and her former husband and the father of her children, William A. Boyd.

Laverne had a lifetime love of family, travel, books, music and art. She excelled academically and artistically. As a young woman she sang in school plays and the church choir and loved drawing and fashion design. She received a college art scholarship. However, when World War II broke out, she abandoned this dream and worked in a defense plant in the steno pool. Laverne frequently sang to crowds to help sell war bonds. She went to the movies and Big Band concerts with her girlfriends.

Laverne married her high school sweetheart Bill Boyd after he returned home from WW II, now a decorated hero. Eventually the couple moved to Texas where Laverne worked for the commanding general at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. After their daughter was born, the young family relocated to North Carolina, where later their son Kevin was born. After the children were of school age, Laverne also worked outside the home. She took a job teaching in a business college, but soon was promoted to Vice President.

During the years that followed, Laverne continued to work in executive assistant roles in defense-related industries, including Executive Assistant to the Division President of FMC and Assistant to the VP of Research and Development.

Laverne went back to school earning an Associate Degree in Business Administration and continued her love of singing as a featured soloist and member of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. The choir toured and performed on world stages, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Carnegie Hall.

After retirement, Laverne volunteered hundreds of hours to her community. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a non-political lineage and service organization. She especially enjoyed veterans’ and educational projects and genealogy research. Laverne served as an officer in several lineage societies, including DAR Honorary Regent and District Director She also enjoyed supporting the arts, attending concerts and supporting the Fallbrook Music Society of California. She was a voracious reader, often finishing several books a week.

Laverne was beloved by her family and lived a life of service. She was generous with her love, her creative talents and intelligence. She left the world a better place for having been in it.