JoAnn Boyd

BROOKVILLE -- JoAnn Patrick Boyd, 87, went home to her Heavenly Father and constant friend, Jesus Christ, on September 27, 2025. She passed peacefully at Brookhaven Retirement Home in Brookville, Ohio, with her devoted husband of 68 years, Bob, by her side.

Born on Christmas Eve in 1937 to Gordon and Nell Patrick in Salyersville, Kentucky, JoAnn was a gift from the very beginning. Music filled her early years, and her talent earned her a scholarship to Indiana State University, where she played piano and French horn. It was there that she met a young man named Bob Boyd. They married on August 19, 1956, in Walkerton, Indiana, beginning a lifelong partnership grounded in faith, love, and shared purpose.

Together, JoAnn and Bob raised four children. Through countless moves, new communities, and Bob's pastoral work and missionary service in Costa Rica and Colombia, JoAnn was the steady center of their family. She held everything together with kindness, empathy, and a quiet strength that helped each person she loved find their way through life's challenges.

JoAnn shared her gifts generously. Whether through her unwavering faith, her music, or her gentle warmth, she touched countless lives in the churches where she served. She had a particular love for children and, after finishing her undergraduate degree at Wright State University in 1981, she became an elementary teacher. For years she poured her heart into her first and fourth grade students in Ohio, Indiana, and Texas, before retiring to her favorite role: full-time grandma.

Her family was her joy. She is survived by her husband, Robert (Bob) Boyd; children Christine Hinton, Pat Boyd (Michele), Brad Boyd (Amy), and Julie Boyd; and her beloved grandchildren Crue Boyd (Jenni), Katie Melson (Matt), Courtney Boyd, Elizabeth Boyd, Jacob Boyd (Daniel), Emma Boyd, Avery Boyd, Cherokee Boyd, and Arianna Boyd. She was also blessed with great-grandchildren Jack and Valla Boyd, and Madison, Isaiah, Maisie, and Ruthie Melson, who brought her endless delight. JoAnn is also survived by her sister, Carole Buettner (Skeet), and her brother, Phillip Patrick (Judy). She was preceded in death by her parents and brother Gene Patrick (Norma).

Family and friends are invited to celebrate JoAnn's life on Saturday, October 4, 2025, with visitation from 10:00-11:00 a.m. followed by a service at 11:00 a.m. at Zechar Bailey Funeral Home, 1499 N. Broadway, Greenville, OH 45331. There will be no interment service at this time.

In honor of JoAnn's lifelong compassion, the family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.zecharbailey.com for the Boyd family.