Desmond "Des" Boyd

1941 - 2021

Desmond "Des" Boyd
August 3, 1941 - May 13, 2021
Desmond 'Des' Boyd passed away peacefully surrounded by his daughters on May 13, 2021. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on August 3, 1941, Des came to the United States in the early 1960s and enlisted in the Navy after finding out he would be drafted into the Army. He served in the Vietnam War on the USS Hancock from 1964-68. He met and married Mary Ann Hoffman in 1965 in the Bay Area. A gifted photographer, Des worked at Macy's in downtown San Francisco in the late 1960s and early 70s and had several covers of California Living. In the 1970s and 80s he lived at the San Francisco Zen Center and traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, particularly in India. A lover of books and lively conversation, he frequented his favorite cafes throughout the city for decades. He gifted those he met with his lovely smile, deep blue eyes, his wisdom, and his love of history, politics, and art. Des' voluminous book collection spanned everything from detailed Soviet history to religion to fishing and cooking. If you knew Des, he had definitely given you a book, if not many. He also gifted his children and grandchildren with lots of love, an appreciation for every stranger you meet, a love of travel and adventure, a love of the streets of San Francisco, and a love of culture and the truth. Desmond is survived by his daughters Kim Boyd Bermingham and Ashley Warren Boyd, sons-in-law Anthony Bermingham and John Warren, grandchildren Dylan and Aodhan Bermingham and Paul and Julia Warren-Boyd, and in Belfast, sister Margaret Dobbin and niece Claire Kenny, her husband James, and their four children. We are grateful to all of his wonderful caretakers including Matthew Graham, L. Ac., QME, Bela Crouse-Smith NP and all those at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. We are also very grateful to Swords to Plowshares.