Roger Gordon Boyce

Roger Gordon Boyce, born on August 7, 1945 in Springfield, Massachusetts, to the late Faye Boyce and the late P. Stanley Boyce, passed away at age 73 on August 25, 2018. Roger graduated from American International College in 1967. Roger served in the Air Force and he also worked at Kollmorgen, Millitech, and BTP Industries as a contract manager. Roger was the loving husband of Pamela Graves Boyce. He is survived by his sons, Nathan Boyce and Matthew Boyce; daughter, Lauren Boyce; brothers, Irving Boyce, Donald Boyce, George Boyce, and Paul Boyce; sisters, Betty Simmons and Elaine Shea; and grandchild, Elliot Marren. Roger s hobbies were reading, baking, and spending time with his kids and grandson.

Roger spent his younger years collecting records, co-owning a bar, and living the bachelor life until he met his eventual wife Pam, and started a family in Easthampton, Ma. From that day forward, it was Roger s greatest joy to be the provider and caretaker of all of his family. Anything that Roger touched, instantly got stronger with his support. When Roger was around, you knew you were good. If anything happened, you knew he d be there to help in his way. Roger was always someone you could rely on and was there for 100% of the smiles and burdens. Roger was the father that everyone needs, because if he was anything, he was consistent and always loving. If you were ill, he d drop everything to make sure you got better. If you were sad, he d listen until you felt better, and if you were happy, he d be rooting you along.

Roger found early on what a lot of people miss completely in life which was the peace and beauty in everyday situations. You could often find Roger mowing the lawn with a smile and tending to his rose bushes, driving too fast on the highway, out having breakfast with his kids, or enjoying a good book on the back deck. Roger didn t need to travel far to be on vacation. When he did travel, it was mostly spent on Cape Cod with his family listening to the Beach Boys. Roger knew everything about everything, and was actually right about it which is rare in a person. Roger could spend hours talking politics, the economy, music, and movies. He particularly enjoyed The Beatles, Roxy Music, J.D. Souther, Radiohead, and mostly read science fiction. He read everyday and you could tell. His vocabulary was extensive, and he was just so, so smart. His body may have aged, but his mind never did. Not even a little bit.

Toward the end of Roger s life, his greatest pleasure undoubtedly was spending time with his grandson, Elliot, who lovingly called him G-pa. Roger loved being a G-pa, and was instrumental in helping Elliot take his first steps and say his first words. As with his kids, the moment Elliot came along, the gears shifted and the focus was on him. Elliot was the cherry on the sundae. The Boyce family is so grateful that Roger got to spend some of his final moments listening to his grandson sing his songs. In Roger s words, he couldn t love him more if he tried. Roger was taken too soon, and life will never be the same without him. Roger meant so much to his family and will be sorely, sorely loved and missed. Friends and family can pay their respects at the celebration of life service on Sunday, September 2 from 11:00 to 12:00 p.m. at Mitchell Funeral Home, 15 Park Street, Easthampton, Massachusetts, 01027.