Wallace "Wally" Boyce

Wallace "Wally" Boyce

Wallace "Wally" Raymond Boyce was born in Milwaukee on July 18, 1923 and passed away peacefully at home in Green Valley on June 11, 2017. He was predeceased by his sister Hazel (Lee) Peters, son Perry Boyce and stepdaughter Kathleen Diers, and is survived by his wife of 45 years, Shirley (Rausch) Boyce, sons William (Christine), Jeffrey (Sara), and Kenneth (Pattie) Boyce, Robert (Sharon) Diers, brother Robert (Ruth) Boyce, 14 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephew and many friends.

Wally served in the Army Infantry 86th Blackhawk Division, from 1943 to 1946, in Europe and the Philippines. He was the drummer of an Army band whose members carried their own instruments around Europe and played for civilians and troops. In combat, the band functioned as a regimental MP's platoon that gathered and evacuated over 40,000 German prisoners in five months. When Germany surrendered in 1945, Wally returned to the U.S. and was sent to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan. After six days at sea the bomb was dropped and the war was over. He completed his service in the Philippines. In 2014, Wally joined other Arizona veterans for an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in recognition of their service in WWII.

Through his life, Wally was a salesman and restaurant owner, retiring to Green Valley in 1993. He volunteered at the White Elephant for 20 years, and played drums in the Green Valley Concert Band, the Desert Tones, the Country Western Band, the Big Band Sounds of Green Valley, and the Bavarian Brass Band. He was a parishioner at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church for more than 20 years and an usher for five years.

A celebration of life will be held in Green Valley and Wisconsin at a later date.



This obituary was originally published in the Green Valley News & Sun.