Marcella A. Boyd

Marcella (Marcie) A. Boyd (nee Shumway) of Rowley, MA, passed away peacefully January 30, 2025 at AdviniaCare Country Center in Newburyport, MA.
Marcie was born February 12, 1937, in Deerfield, Massachusetts to Allen L Shumway Sr. and Marietta (King) Shumway.
She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Hazen C Boyd Jr, in-laws Hazen C. Boyd Sr. and Lovilla (Baxter) Boyd, brothers Allen L Shumway Jr., and Halbert V. Shumway, nephew Gary Shumway and niece Elaine (Shumway) Penta.
She is survived by her daughters, Amy Byron (David) of Northfield, MA., Alice Dysert (Timothy) of Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid), Spain, and son, Robert Boyd (Laura) of Atkinson, NH.; nine grandchildren, Jeremiah (Stephanie) Byron, Jennifer McComb (Stephen), Stephen (Carly) Dysert, Philip (Katelyn) Dysert, Nicolas (Maria) Dysert, Lydia Dysert, Kaitlyn Boyd, Kristen (Andrew) Tighe, Nathan Boyd, and seven great-grandchildren, Hazen Byron, Titus, Will and Myles McComb, Miriam, Esther & Elizabeth Dysert.
Marcie grew up in a loving home, the youngest child and only daughter. Her father, from Rowe MA, was a farmer and her mother taught in a one room schoolhouse in Readsboro VT until she married, and they moved to Deerfield.
Marcie graduated as co-valedictorian of Deerfield high school class of 1954. She attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where she met Hazen Boyd, whom she married May 31, 1958. She graduated magna cum laude with a BA in sociology and education in 1959. In 1961 the Boyds moved from Athol to Rowley.
A lifelong learner, she took courses on remedial reading, early childhood education, chemistry for children and submitted grant proposals, one of which brought moon rocks to her classroom for a special science unit. She taught in various capacities for 37 years, as a long term substitute at Pine Grove Elementary School, director and teacher at Sprague's Kindergarten in Rowley, summer remedial reading teacher, home tutor for students needing long term absence from the Triton Regional School system, special needs tutor at Salisbury Plains School and TRHS, and grade 5/6 teacher at Essex North Christian School, finishing her teaching career as a collaborative teaching assistant in Biology and Earth Science at Manchester Jr/Sr High School in Manchester by the Sea where her husband taught math for 33 years. Her favorite age group to teach was preschool through second grade and she always gave one hundred percent effort into planning her lessons and preparing visuals and engaging activities, making learning as fun as she could.
Marcie was active in many clubs and volunteer activities through the years, directing Bible schools in rural Vermont as a college student, leading 4-H home economics clubs, serving as secretary and president of the Rowley PTA and Rowley Historical Society, secretary, registrar and arts and crafts director at Camp Northfield, Sunday school teacher, VBS program director and choir director at Linebrook Baptist Church in Ipswich.
She was passionate about genealogy and taught a course on genealogy at NECCO and volunteered several years in the archive room of the Newburyport Public Library helping others research their own family trees. She was active in the American Field Service (AFS) exchange club, hosting Chilean foreign exchange student Antonio Prieto in 1979.
Marcella was a loyal and generous friend to many. She opened her home to those in need and willingly shared what she had with others, often hosting visiting missionaries and evangelistic teams from church for meals with her family.
She and Hazen maintained friendships with their college classmates from the InterVarsity Bible study, attending annual reunion retreats more than fifty years later. Her many generous and thoughtful gifts to friends and family, often handmade items or treasured family heirlooms, demonstrated her deep love for those close to her.
Though outwardly reserved, she loved musical theater and introduced her children to the Boston Pops, NorthShore Music Theater, and was cast in one of the Gilbert and Sullivan productions by a community theater group in Ipswich. Other hobbies included collecting seashells, reading, tending her flower and herb gardens, baking, sewing and crafting, and chronicling the family history of the Boyd, Baxter, and Shumway ancestors.
Her dearest friend, who welcomed her into his arms on that day she entered Heaven, was her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a young woman she trusted in Jesus and gave her life to serve Him and please Him. Over the years she grew as a Christian, faithfully striving to live out her faith in her actions and words. Marcie was a mentor to many young women and a model of what it means to be a Christian wife, mother and friend. She valued truth and honesty and loving kindness. Even when no longer able to see clearly or communicate verbally with her loved ones, she still responded to music, directing and singing along with her friends who would share hymns and songs about God's great love with her. She truly would "rather have Jesus than anything" and it is certain that on that morning of January 30, Marcie became absent from the body but present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) and surely heard her Lord greet her with "Well done, my good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21).
There will be no calling hours. Following a private Graveside Service, a Celebration of Life Service will take place on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 12:30 p.m., at The First Baptist Church, 147 Main Street, Rowley. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The First Baptist Church, 147 Main Street, Rowley, MA 01969, the Rowley Historical Society, 233 Main Street, Rowley, MA 01969,or The Alzheimer's Association for Alzheimer's research, 309 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452.
To light a memorial candle or to leave a message of condolence, please visit www.fsrobertsandson.com.
~ Arrangements entrusted to F. S. Roberts & Son Funeral Home ~
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