David C. Boyer

David C. Boyer

David Creighton Boyer, 93, died in Greenville, Delaware on October 29, 2023, after a long illness.  He was born in Wilmington and grew up in Wawaset Park, the son of J. Walter Boyer and Eva Mae Hammond Boyer.  He attended Wilmington Friends School from kindergarten through grade 12, graduating in 1948. He was one of the last surviving members of a big group of friends growing up in Wawaset, many of whom also attended Wilmington Friends.  David played varsity football, basketball, and baseball, and was named to the All-State team in basketball.  He was a proud recipient of the Mendenhall Award.  After Friends, David graduated from Princeton in 1952, followed by Officers Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island.  He then served as an officer in the U. S. Navy at the end of the Korean War, serving on the destroyer escort USS Jack W. Wilke.

Although the Navy sent David to Newport News, Boston, Key West, and Charleston, S.C., he found time to marry his hometown sweetheart, Lydia Anne Richards, with whom he shared 68 years of marriage before her death in 2021.  Over the years the family had many laughs about the wording of their News Journal wedding announcement, “Wilmington Girl Marries Navy Man”.

After completing Navy service, David arrived back in Wilmington with Lydia and baby Maggie.  Within the next couple of years, the family of three became a family of five with the addition of Amy and then David, Jr.  David, Sr. began his long career in the financial industry, first in the Trust Department of Wilmington Trust, and then with Laird, Bissell and Meeds, where he became president a few years later.  Laird, Bissell and Meeds subsequently merged with Dean Witter Reynolds; David served on the Board of Directors of Dean Witter and stayed with the company until retirement.

In his spare time, David played golf, lots of golf.  Later in his career, he played with a small group of friends on golfing vacations in Scotland and Ireland.  In addition to golf, his major pastimes were fishing and hunting, especially hunting with his friend Danny Lickle at their duck blind on Blackbird Creek.  He was devoted to his dogs, all thirteen of them.  His three children were expected to learn the basics of fly fishing, as well as how to shoot, pluck, and clean a bird.  David’s family and friends basked in his love and kindness throughout his life.

David was a member of the Wilmington Country Club, the Wilmington Club, Vicmead-Bidermann, Swiftwater Preserve, and Camp Harmony, New Brunswick.  He also served on several nonprofit boards, including the Children’s Home in Claymont and the Board of Trustees of Wilmington Friends School.

Once retired, David and Lydia were able to travel, spend time with their children and grandchildren, and enjoy their farm on the Chesapeake.  When Lydia died in 2021, they had one great granddaughter and two more on the way.  When asked what they wanted their great grandchildren to call them, Lydia said she should be called “Grannie Lyds”.  David said they should call him, simply, “Great”.

David was a beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend.  He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved Lydia; his brother, John W. Boyer, Jr.; and his nephew, John W. Boyer, III (“Jay”).  He is survived by his three children and their spouses:  Maggie and Vern Proctor, Bethel, DE; Amy and Mark McElroy, Woodstock, Vermont; and David and Catherine Boyer, Oxford, New Zealand; his seven grandchildren and their spouses:  Ed and Kelly Proctor, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; Liz and Gabe Gilbert, Newport News, Virginia; Mack and Hieu McElroy, Williston, Vermont; Liza McElroy and Ed Slavich, Seward, Alaska; and Abby, Kate, and Chase Boyer, all of New Zealand.  He is also survived by three great granddaughters:  Vivienne, Madeline, and Anna; and by numerous nieces and nephews.

David’s family wishes to express their most sincere thanks for the excellent care he received from everyone at Stonegates Health Center, and from everyone else who helped him in his final years.  A memorial service is planned for Wilmington in early December for friends and family.  Please call Chandler Funeral Home for details: (302) 478-7100.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Wilmington Friends School, 101 School Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803.