Dwayne Thomas Boyd

Dwayne Thomas Boyd was the son of Ralph John and Berniece Berry Boyd. He was born on Oct 1, 1961 in Rock Springs, Wyoming and left his earthly home at the age of 58 on June 28, 2020 with his wife, son, daughter and step son by his side. He had been a resident of the Norfork and Mountain Home area since 1964.

He graduated from Norfork High School in 1979 where he served as Senior Class President and pitcher of the baseball team.

Dwayne’s firm belief in God molded his philosophy on life and also lead other family members to the Lord.

Dwayne had an incredible love of music, in particular rock music, and he loved going to concerts. He was known to say “There’s a tune for that” which meant that no matter what life sent your way, you could find comfort or joy in music. He felt that you’re never alone because someone else had already experienced it and wrote a song about it.

Dwayne loved to laugh, joke around and make others smile and laugh. He was always looking for the perfect time to use a funny line from a movie or show. His gruff exterior was a cover for his teddy bear heart. However, on the flip side of that, he was very serious about his tremendous love of family, not only his immediate family, but love of his step family as well.

He was an avid sports fan, maybe even a fanatic. He loved all sports and enjoyed playing golf and cheering on his beloved Kansas City Chiefs. He loved watching his Chiefs win the Super Bowl this year, all the time remembering that it had been 50 years since the Chiefs had been to the Super Bowl which he had watched with his Dad and other family members.

When Dwayne’s children, Dustin and Lara, were young, he began taking them to the Ferry Landing on the White River in Norfork to shoot off fireworks. Over the years, other family members joined in and then friends and neighbors. It is now a neighborhood 4th of July tradition with a huge fireworks display.

Dwayne married Elona Jo Wamsley on Sept 7, 2009 in Las Vegas Nevada. He met Elona at the age of 13 when she moved back to the United States from Canada to Norfork, AR. They spent many hours under the bridge of the White River talking about life, listening to music and watching the river go by. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship and unbreakable bond. Elona moved away but upon her return many years later, she asked Dwayne if he had missed her. He responded “I think I have missed you my entire life.”

Dwayne was a dedicated employee of the Baxter Bulletin for 30 years. He began as a part-time employee right out of high school, eventually working his way up to the position of Printing Press Supervisor. He took great pride in keeping the printing press at peak performance and ensuring that the Bulletin subscribers received a top quality paper; that the paper was correctly aligned and the colors in the ads were correct. He described himself as a "working" supervisor. Though it was his job to oversee the other employees, he viewed them as co-workers not as subordinates, and would never ask anything of them that he himself would not do.

A unique part of working at Baxter Bulletin was working with his beloved sister, Karla. Dwayne cherished her, however, he never missed an opportunity to joke with her or remind her that she was older than him.

When the Baxter Bulletin outsourced their printing to Springfield, Dwayne’s next career opportunity was at Baxter Healthcare. He was excited to be an employee because his Dad and Mom had previously worked there. He admired their work ethic and he was proud to have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps. Dwayne’s employment spanned over 10 years there starting as an Assembler I. He was promoted to Production Tech I, Production Tech III, Manufacturing Associate III and ultimately Pressroom Supervisor. He was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the numerous machines in the print shop. In addition to ensuring the print quality of the company’s Direction Inserts, the print shop produced engraved signage for use around the plant. Once again as Pressroom Supervisor, he preferred to be a “working” supervisor. Dwayne was extremely proud to be part of a company that produced medical equipment that allowed people to treat their needs at home.

Another love in Dwayne’s life was that of grilling. Feeding his family and friends gave him great joy and the food was a treasure to everyone’s palate. His specialties were ribs, chicken, hamburgers, and steaks which were the absolute best.

Dwayne is survived by his wife, Elona Boyd of Mountain Home, AR; mother, Berniece Boyd of Norfork, AR; son, Dustin T. Boyd of Kansas City, MO; daughter, Lara (Christopher) Rivera of Mountain Home, AR; father-in-law, Ron Wamsley, of Mountain Home, AR; step-daughter, Emma Faye of Santa Clara, CA; step-son, Christopher (Kimber) Johnson of Mountain Home, AR; sister, Karla (Mike) Watts of Norfork, AR and five grandchildren, Malakhi Rivera, Neahmiah Rivera, Roman Rivera, Esmeralda Rivera and Tyler Johnson, all of Mountain Home, AR.

Dwayne was preceded in death by his father, Ralph John Boyd and mother-in-law, Alta Mae Wamsley.

The Celebration of Life for Dwayne will be held at Kirby & Family Funeral Home Chapel, with Heather Marsalis, Celebrant and Jerry Wamsley, Minister Officianting. Due to current COVID19 restrictions, attendance must be by invitation only, however, the service will be available live stream by going to the Kirby & Family Funeral Home website at www.kirbyandfamily.com . A Come and Go Reception for all family and friends will be held after the Celebration at the Arkana Baptist Church located at 10919 Highway 201 South, Mountain Home, Arkansas. Final resting place will be in the Martin Cemetery, Norfork, Arkansas.