Boyd Ervin Smith

1941 - 2022

So God Made a Farmer. His name is Boyd Ervin Smith. He was born on 18th November 1941. Boyd harvested his last crops and worked down the ground in November 2021, the month of his 80th birthday. He passed away at EIRMC on 27th July 2022 with his children holding his big, beautiful hands and hugging him goodbye. When Dad had to retire an old piece of good machinery, he'd say "it doesn't owe us anything". He could say the same of his 6'2" broad-shouldered, strong body; it served him well.

Boyd was independent right from the start. He didn't talk until he was four years old and then, only in full sentences. Boyd went off for a long walk when he was a little boy, unaware that his family and neighbors were in a panic looking for him. He was always looking at ways to make money, taking matches from the kitchen cabinet to sell to other kids in grade school, and only buying half a lunch so he could pocket the rest.

Boyd made several close friends for life when he was young, including his cousin, Lester, who was like a brother to him. He was very touched by those that visited him many times in the last few months.

Boyd flew off to National Guard with friends on 27th May 1960 to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was sent to Mechanics Training, while most of his friends were Combat Engineers out in the fields. They remember Boyd teasing them because his boots were shiny while theirs were not. He returned on 30th November and completed his 3-year term end of May 1963.

Boyd married Peggy Wright on the 22nd of March 1963. They were together sixteen years and had two children, Melanie and Robert, who both loved and supported Boyd throughout his life, along with Robert's wife, Ranae, and their children: Drake, Sleight, and Timber Lin. They also shared the sorrow of losing twin daughters just eight months after Melanie was born.

Boyd's biggest heartbreak was the loss of his brother, Drake in April 1969. They were very close and had worked side-by-side on their father's farm. Drake was the only person who could get away with teasing and laughing at Boyd. Dad talked a lot about Drake throughout his life and would always get tears in his eyes.

Boyd's greatest joy was farming, especially with his son, Robert. In his 80 years, he saw manual work, such as picking potatoes off the ground into bags to then be placed on a truck, to automation, where the grain is loaded into semis in the field for transport to the grain co-op. Boyd grew his first crop of potatoes when he was 13 years old. He had a natural ability to run, build and fix equipment, which he passed on to his son. Dad's greatest satisfaction was to overhaul a farm into a beautiful, organized, productive operation. He did this repeatedly, going from 50 to 3500 acres in 60 years.

One of our favorite stories is of Dad buying his first John Deere tractor, the 4010, which had double the horsepower of any tractor on the farm. He was so happy with it, that he went out plowing even though he had a terrible head cold. Dad did everything with that tractor and "he", as we affectionately refer to "the 4010", is still on the farm today.

Boyd loved hunting for equipment and vehicles up and down eastern Idaho with Robert and was well known for negotiating the price down, even a little bit. Their last purchase together was on tillage equipment this last winter.

When asked what he wanted to do in retirement, Dad said he always wanted to grow some specialty crops. In other words, the farmer wanted to do some more farming. Boyd did what he loved his whole life and for that, we are happy.

Boyd loved cars, looking at, buying, fixing up, and driving them. He could recognize model and year just from the grill and headlights. His life in cars is mostly preserved, with ten still in his possession, but the one he wishes he'd kept was his 1962 Chevy Impala Super Sport.

Boyd also enjoyed traveling and reminiscing about the trips. In later years, he went on several cruises with his sister and mother. His last trip was a 10-day drive down the coast of California in December 2021 with his daughter to see the Sequoia and Redwood forests.

Boyd liked to go on vacations during the winter, mostly to Queen Valley, Arizona, where his parents had a winter home since 1973. He later purchased that home and Robert and his family would come down to visit, creating many wonderful memories of golfing and card playing with his grandchildren. His daughter bought a home just three lots up the street in 2012. It was in these later years that their relationship grew close and as Robert said, they became "thick as thieves" spending time together golfing, going for jeep rides, and leisure trips into town. Robert now has a house right next to Melanie so the tradition of fun in the sun will continue. One of Dad's last negotiations was this spring on an RZR side-by-side, which he was very much looking forward to going out in the desert with Robert and his two sons.

Boyd loved to visit with family and friends. He had an endearing habit of calling people Young Man, Young Lady, or Kid, regardless of their age. He'd often drop by for coffee or stop on the road just to chat. Boyd cared about what was going on in people's lives, would visit friends that were sick, and attended many funerals with tears in his eyes. Dad enjoyed knowing and being a part of the families whose farms he leased. He took great pride in most farm lease agreements being verbal, in other words, that he was trusted. This was something he took very seriously and passed on to both of his children.

Dad also liked to go snow skiing, riding snow machines, fishing, camping, boating and waterskiing. After the 24th of July when the panic of keeping grain watered in addition to potatoes and hay, was reduced, many a weekend and/or Sunday was spent with family and friends camping and waterskiing. These were very good times in his life and that of his family.

Boyd's most significant tragedy was the loss of eyesight in his right eye when he was 65 from a rare disease that cut off blood supply through the artery. While it took the wind out of his sails a great deal, making it hard for him to work on engines and equipment, and he had to turn far around to see behind the tractor, he continued on, relying on intuition, sound, and feel gained over 50 years of experience.

While Boyd sometimes had a hard exterior and reputation to go with it, those that know him well are aware of his tender, sensitive center. Over the years many people have told Dad what a difference he made in their lives. This always put tears in his eyes.

As per Dad's wishes, the graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, August 13, 2022, at the Sugar City Cemetery. While Dad joked that he wanted to be buried with his John Deere 4010, the best we can do is have it parked at the cemetery near his gravesite. We'll have tents set up so friends and family can stick around to visit.

We are ever so grateful Dad was a character, teasing, joking, and laughing because we now have funny stories to tell and make us laugh between our tears. Please come to the service with anecdotes to share.

In lieu of flowers, of which Dad wasn't really a fan, please donate to the Broke Bench Farmers Fund. If you know Boyd, you know he would appreciate this joke fully.

We have been and will continue to post photos and videos of Dad online. Please see the link at www.coltrinmortuary.com.