Thomas Henry "T.H." Boyd, Jr.

Celebration of Life for Thomas Henry Boyd, Jr.

T.H. Boyd was born in Tarboro, NC on December 11, 1935 to Maggie Parrisher Boyd and Thomas Henry Boyd, Sr. 

T.H. is survived by his children, Michael D. Boyd (Mike) and his wife Sharon, Thomas H. Boyd, III (Tee) and his wife Susan, Cynthia Boyd Kurti (Cindy) and her wife Hillary, and Timothy R. Boyd.  Loving “Papa” to April, Caroline, Ireland, Callie, Kayla, Josh, Tim, Michael, Elliott, Dustin, Darren, Heather and 11 great-grandchildren. T.H. is also survived by his dear brother, Jerry Boyd and his wife Janice and beloved sister Hazel Freuler.

In the early years of our Daddy’s life, he started working at the family's business selling tires, working on cars, pumping gas, etc. Our Daddy never met a person that he wasn’t willing to help out. So many people have shared stories and their experiences with us over the past 2 weeks. These are just a few.

“Boyd’s always treated my mama like she was their mama. She truly loved and appreciated their kindness. When she was all alone, they took care of her car needs.  It’ so sad that businesses like Boyd’s are rare now.”   - Peggy Moody Hinton –

“T.H. will always be a pillar of our community and will be greatly missed.”  - Kenneth Cox –

“Add up the number of friends, this man was a billionaire.”   - Barbara Barnes –

“He was rich in character, honesty, caring, loving, etc. and he left behind a family of the same.”

Robert Cherry –

“Everyone who met T.H. knew that they had met a special person.”   - Dennis Coley –

Our Daddy was always willing to give every person a chance. Over the years there were many teenagers that worked at the station who later said that our Daddy taught them the meaning of responsibility and becoming a young man.

Our Daddy worked hard and never complained. He worked just as hard on snowy days, rainy days, cold days, and hot days – our Daddy worked hard without hesitation. He rarely missed work and if he did, everyone knew that he must be sick!

Although Boyd’s Service Station was an important part of our Daddy’s life, he also enjoyed family and friends getting together on a Sunday afternoon to play basketball in our back yard.  The teams were usually comprised of a bunch of 20 year olds, our Daddy and Uncle Jerry. After a few games most everyone was tired and sweaty – EXCEPT Daddy – He was always ready for another game! Daddy was a diehard Duke fan. He would try to catch every basketball game that was televised. His love for Duke could be recognized through all of his Duke paraphernalia.  Oh how many Duke hats,    t-shirts, sweatshirts signs…..could one man have? He had lots!! Well, our backyard basketball games were not even close to Duke, but they were definitely fun times!!

Daddy taught us how to play baseball when we were kids. He would take us to Sunset Park and hit fly balls and grounders to us. Most of the time this would end up in an unexpected game with others joining in on the fun.

It was sometimes hard to get Daddy away from the station but, we have fond memories of him taking us to Kings Dominion and Bush Gardens along with other family vacations.  Daddy loved spending time with his family. Daddy enjoyed going to the race track when Tim was racing, it was rare that he would miss. Daddy was always there to support us. He attended our football games, softball games, baseball games and was always our #1 fan. 

Daddy also enjoyed attending Tarboro High football games; so much that he became a THS Athletic Program sponsor. If he wasn’t able to attend the game one week, he would listen to the game on the radio. Monday morning after a Friday night game, you could go to the station and it would almost be like the game was happening all over again. He enjoyed discussing the plays and how the game played out.

Daddy was a faithful member of his church congregation. He loved his church family and his Pastor. He was always happy to support any fundraisers that the church had. He was very proud of the new building and often mentioned the details of the inside. Many members have already expressed their sorrow that Daddy will not be sitting in “his seat” on Sundays.   

Our Daddy, T.H. Boyd, Jr., lived a wonder 84 years of life. He was a very strong and healthy man. We, Mike, Tee, Tim and Cindy, were privileged to have witnessed him love without expectations, forgive beyond measure, and use his God given gifts of loving others as himself.  Most of the time, he loved others even more than himself.  Daddy was an inspiration to us.  His commitment to hard work, his love for family and community, and his compassion for all others – He was an example of how to love. Daddy never looked to draw light or attention to himself, but he was a bright shining star!  Our Daddy didn’t see differences, he didn’t see color, he didn’t see social status, and he was not judgmental but loved unconditionally. He treated everyone with the same care and warmth. I think we would all agree that our Daddy was the quietest preacher ever heard. He LIVED Christ and never had to say a word for us to see or believe.

Thank you God for giving us this amazing person that we got to call Daddy!!  Until we meet again….You will be missed.

Celebration of Life Service will be held at Edgecombe Memorial Park, Hwy. 258, Tarboro, NC. on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 2:00 pm lead by Rev. Jessie Blalock.

*PLEASE WEAR MASK AT ALL TIMES*

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