James William Boyd Sr.

On March 20, 2021 James (Jim) William Boyd, Sr. J.D., lawyer and creative thinker, passed away at the age of 93. Jim was born on February 7, 1928 in Warren, OH. His youth was spent in Niles OH with his parents and four sisters. He went to Westminster College, where he met his wife, Joan. Jim graduated with a degree in Psychology in 1949. They married on June 30, 1951 and raised two children, Margaret and James Jr. Jim worked several jobs including the railroad until he landed a job as a Claims Adjuster for Nationwide Insurance. Later in life, he returned to school and earned his Juris Doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall School of Law in 1973. He became a Corporate Attorney for Nationwide and moved to Columbus where they lived for 38 years. The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist was the cornerstone of his many volunteer efforts. Nine years ago, he moved to Breckenridge Village in Willoughby where he was cared for and loved by his Ohio Living Home Care family.

Jim enjoyed classical music, the arts, writing & poetry, and serving his community. He was an advocate for lifelong learning. Jim used his natural curiosity to learn new skills to better his community, locally and globally. Because of that he leaves a legacy of service to others. He learned to garden as well as tend the church apple trees for distribution to a local food bank. He learned to design and build tables for a local furniture bank. He collected used bikes and disassembled them, shipped them to be distributed to third world countries. He used his legal skills to do pro-bono work for Legal Aide and the Ohio Innocence Project. Jim was an Ombudsman and a Legal guardian. He started a Family Giving Circle. Habitat for Humanity, NNEMap Food Pantry, Catholic Charities Soup Kitchen, WOSU, Hospice, UMCOR are all part of what made Jim tick. He joined many others in donating his time to make the world a better place. Jim donated his body to The Ohio State Medical School upon his passing.

JWB is survived by his daughter, Margaret B (Mark S) Warner of Willoughby; son, James W (Deborah Welling) Boyd Jr. of Charlotte, NC; Grandchildren, Carrie (Dustin) Wilson, Matthew S (Jennifer L) Warner and Megan W (Jan Michael) Szyndler; great-grandchildren, Kila M Wilson, Wesley N Warner, Asbury C Warner, and Lincoln M Warner.

His family encourages the gift of your time to a charity of your choosing or a donation to Ohio Living Home Health Care & Hospice in memory of Jim.