Wallace Richard Boyer

WALLACE RICHARD BOYER
1927-2008




Wallace R. (Dick) Boyer, a Lompoc resident since 1967, passed away from heart failure at the age of 80. Dick was heavily involved in the local community as a teacher and softball coach after a long career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Dick was born in Mansfield, Ohio on May 28, 1927 as the eldest of three sons to George and Edna Boyer. He attended Copley (Ohio) High School, during which time he was a standout football player. While in high school, he met and eventually married the love of his life, Elizabeth Haring, who was a cheerleader at a neighboring high school. He graduated in 1946 and immediately served in the U.S. Army for one year in post-war occupied Korea. Upon discharge, Dick enrolled at Ohio University. He played football and graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1951. The Korean War beckoned and Dick received an Air Force commission after pilot training at Vance (Oklahoma) Air Force Base. He was sent to Korea in 1952 and piloted B-26 bombers with the 8th Bomber Squadron, specializing in low-altitude support for front-line troops. Dick returned in late 1953 and resumed his military career and education, culminating in a M.S. in engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1959. He was assigned to the Atlas program in the Air Force's ballistic missile division in Los Angeles, eventually transferring to Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1967. He was involved in the development of launchers and boosters for the Titan 3B and 3D systems. Dick retired as a major in the Air Force in 1970 and turned to teaching as a second career. He earned a M.S. in Education from Chapman College in 1970 and began teaching at the newly-formed Maple High School, where he spent his entire teaching career.
Dick was actively involved in coaching youth and high school sports for a period spanning five decades, including stints coaching his own children in football, baseball and softball. He started with baseball and football programs in Orange County and continued this commitment upon moving to the Lompoc area. He transitioned to coaching softball, played a principal role in the development of both the Village Hills and Lompoc Girls Softball associations and coached several successful travel ball teams.
Dick coached football and then softball (1979-1997) at Cabrillo High School. His teams earned several league championships and CIF playoff berths. His Cabrillo softball team won a CIF championship in 1985 and he was also named CIF Coach of the Year. Dick Boyer retired from the Lompoc school district as a teacher in 1987 and as a coach in 1997 at the age of 69.
In his spare time, Dick enjoyed spending time with family, hunting, fishing, photography, genealogy and "feeding the blue jays out of his hand while sitting in the backyard".
Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth, a brother, Gene Boyer, of Huntington Beach and five children: Richard Boyer, M.D. of Columbia, South Carolina, Robert Boyer, M.D. of Union, Kentucky, Bill Boyer, of Mission Viejo, Michael Boyer of Lompoc and Lisa Boyer of Grover Beach. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), P.O. Box 1201, Lompoc, CA 93438-1201.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 17, at 3:30 pm with Deacon Isaiah Toran officiating at the Starbuck-Lind Mortuary, 123 North A St. in Lompoc (735-3773).
A private burial service will be held at a later date.