Daryl “Dean” Boyd

Dean was born on 16 October 1941, the third child of Noel Boyd and Bertha (Ribeau) Boyd in Osborne, Kansas.  Dean was born four miles south of Osborne in the family’s rural home. Dean was 81 years old when he died.  He passed away in his sleep early on the morning of December 18, 2022 after a battle with lung cancer.

Dean was an honest and humble man with his last wish being: “As I arrived on this earth to no fanfare, I wish to leave in the same manner. God bless and love you all as much as I do”.

Dean grew up and received his education in Osborne, Kansas.  Dean graduated from Osborne High School in the class of 1959.  Dean spent most of his adult life working for the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier for 31 years. Dean was a member of the First Christian Church in Osborne, Kansas. He loved being outdoors, loved meeting people and loved being a mail carrier. After retiring from the USPS Dean enjoyed time as an avid woodworker and Jayhawk basketball fan. Dean rarely missed a game!

Dean married Dina Murphy after graduating from high school, they were later divorced. They remained life-long friends. He later married Virginia “Gin” McClelland Hazlett in 1990, they happily shared many life adventures until her death in 2012.

Dean was preceded in death by his wife Virginia “Gin” Boyd; parents Noel Boyd and Bertha Boyd and two brothers, Jimmie Boyd and Larry Boyd.

Dean is survived by two sons Gary Boyd and wife Kate (Lawrence, Kansas), Alan Bignall and wife Linda (Lawrence, Kansas) and a daughter Traci Edwards (Uvalde, Texas). He is also survived by his brother Donald Boyd (Burbank, California).

Dean has been blessed with five grand-children Andrew Boyd (and Leesa), Sarah Edwards, Kyle Edwards, Gentry Bignall and Jacob Veatch (and Alison). He was also blessed with six great grand-children; June Boyd, Macon Boyd, Logan Boyd, Josey Bignall, Jesse Veatch and Jackson Veatch. The great grand-children were a source of great pride for Dean.

Dean requested no funeral services.  A private family graveside service and family fellowship is planned. Dean requested any memorials be directed to Midland Hospice care and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.

The entire family express their sincere appreciation for you love and assistance, telephone calls and prayers. Thank you and may God bless you all.

14 Condolences

  1. Dana Wingert on December 24, 2022 at 5:34 am

    Sorry to hear of Deans passing, I worked with him at the Post Office, he always had us laughing! What a wonderful guy. RIP Dean.



  2. John Keller on December 24, 2022 at 11:05 am

    It sure was fun being close enough to Dean’s carrier case in the mornings to hear his banter!



  3. Jerry Elliott on December 24, 2022 at 11:30 am

    I knew Dean even before I started working at the Post Office, he worked with my father at PO. Dean was absolutely great, always laughing and smiling. I got to see him after he retired as I delivered his mail, I will miss him very much.



  4. Dina (Boyd) Conn on December 24, 2022 at 11:37 am

    He was a gentle man and very forgiving. Our 20 years together gave us a lioving son named Gary Dean Boyd whom we both got to share our lives with. I was privileged to get to share many memories with him just two days before he died. I will cherish this that time always. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. I know he made a safe journey home. He was a forever friend of mine.



  5. Dean Wheeler on December 24, 2022 at 11:44 am

    What a Great life time Friend !!!



  6. Ellen (Joe Conn) Gee on December 24, 2022 at 12:12 pm

    I will never forget the kindness of spirit that was Dean Boyd, my dear cousin. Thank you for being you! You are so loved, and will be missed. XOXO



  7. Jayne Polcyn on December 24, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    So many memories of a truly great man and lifetime friend . . . Rest in Peace, Deano! Your support and contagious laughter will never be forgotten💙❤️



  8. Gay Conn Anderson on December 24, 2022 at 1:25 pm

    You will forever be in my heart Dean. I am so thankful and blessed to have been a small part of this special family, from the first time I came to my Osborne Kansas Conn family roots back in the mid 1960’s. You are much loved. God’s blessings and love.
    Gay Conn Anderson



  9. Dave Boyd on December 24, 2022 at 10:53 pm

    I was honored to work with Dean and enjoy the benefit of his calm, encouraging demeanor, his sense of humor and positive outlook on life. Having the same last name, I looked up to him as an elder of my clan and learned from him the value of hard work without it seeming like working hard. He was always well-groomed, soft-spoken, quick with a smile and slow to anger. In all, a genuine pleasure to be around. I will miss Dean.



  10. robert morgan on December 25, 2022 at 11:18 am

    as a fellow mail carrier i worked in the same office as dean for many years, and used some of his wood working tools at times and admired his wood working skills. i counted him as a friend.



  11. danita howard on December 26, 2022 at 1:09 pm

    although we haven’t seen dean since dads death in 1987 we thought of him often and mom talked with him occasionally. my kids were 5 and 7 when they were here and when we spoke of uncle dean or uncle don the y thought we were saying ding dong so that’s how I’ll always remember him as ding. we will miss him



  12. J. Stephen Russ Junction City, KS, Osborne, KS, Lawrence, KS and presently til the end North Conway, NH on December 27, 2022 at 1:34 pm

    I was one of the lucky ones to have known Dean in my lifetime. I met Dean when I moved to Osborne, KS to build the “Green Latrine” as it was affectionately known. It was Dean who gave me the best advice, “Give them something to talk about, if you don’t, they will make up something and it will be far worse than anything you could possibly do.” I will miss you dearly, even though we were 1,500 miles apart. I will miss the long phone calls we had once or twice a year just to stay in touch. Thanks for putting Eileen and myself up when we passed thru Lawrence over the years. My only regret is that you never made it to New Hampshire to visit, although I tried to get you here. I did get Dean to visit me in Boston a couple of years after I moved there. We had the pleasure of going to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, went up to my cabin in Maine, and took a road trip back to Boston (Newton, MA) by way of North Conway, NH. In North Conway we took the Skimobile to the top of Cranmore Mountain. Little did I know then, that I would move to North Conway in 1998 and still be here. And I work at Cranmore in the winter, parking cars on Saturday/ Sundays, and skiing there during the week. We had good times together, and to quote Dean, “Gourd Head”



  13. Lynette Forbes on December 29, 2022 at 11:50 am

    When I started carrying mail in 1988, Dean was one of the “old guard” that taught us the ropes. He was always nice, and taught me that service was what mattered at the P.O. That he requested “no fanfare” at his passing is so appropriate for this assuming, good man.



  14. Justin Fox on January 5, 2023 at 3:42 pm

    On behalf of the Fox family and staff at Lawrence Automotive Diagnostics. We would like to send our condolences to the Boyd Family. We sure enjoyed the time when we saw Dean deliver mail to our residence. Always a smile on his face, outgoing gentlemen. We also had the pleasure to service Dean’s vehicles for many years for almost as long as we have been in business. Enjoyed the interactions and conversations when he would come into the shop. He will be deeply missed.



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