William F. Boyer

William Franklin Boyer, 98, of Carthage, Illinois passed away at 8:32 a.m. on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, at Wesley Village in Macomb, Illinois.  William (Bill) was born on Wednesday, February 21, 1923, on a farm west of Ferris, Illinois to Howard and Hazel (Barnard) Boyer.

On June 25, 1937, Bill completed and received a diploma for completion of elementary school in a one-room schoolhouse near his home by Ferris.  Immediately after graduation, he began his farming career.  Even though he didn’t have an opportunity to continue his formal education, education was important to him.  He served on the School Board for the Ferris Grade School for many years.  He sacrificed to make sure his own children got the best possible education.  We often heard him say “They can take away everything you have, but they can’t take away your education.”  At the age of sixteen, he suffered a ruptured appendix that put him in the hospital for nearly nine months.  As a result, he was unable to serve his country during WWII. 

On December 10, 1943, Bill was united in marriage to Betty Lou Rea of Niota, Illinois in a double ceremony with her brother, William Rea of Niota, Illinois and Marthabel Bice of Blandinsville, Illinois.  They were married at the Baptist Church parsonage in Kahoka, Missouri.  Four children were born to Bill and Betty:  Judith Ann, Bonnie Lee, Thomas Eugene, and Danny Joe.  At the age of 24, Danny Joe was tragically killed in a car accident north of Carthage.

In addition to farming, Bill worked during WWII at the Iowa Ammunitions Plant along with his wife in Burlington, Iowa.  He worked at the Swift and Company in Carthage, Illinois, along with his brothers Hubert and Leon hauling milk.  For more than 20 years he had a corn shelling and trucking business in the Ferris area.  After his official retirement from farming, he helped farm for family and neighbors well into his eighties.

In 1967, Bill and his nephew, Arnold Boyer, built and pulled “The Diggin Dozen” hotrod tractor throughout the tractor pulling circuit, crossing many state lines before retiring in 1986.  His proudest accomplishment was being the 1979 Illinois Tractor Pulling Association mechanic of the year.  The last ten years of his life, Bill worked with reclaimed wood to sell or give away more than sixty outhouses.  These projects kept him busy until he could no longer find the wood and could no longer see well enough to continue.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Hazel Boyer of Adrian and his eight siblings and their spouses:  Vernon (Luella) Boyer of Ferris, IL; Wilda (Ed) Neil, of Washington, IL; Hubert (Arlene) Boyer, of Adrian, IL; Thelma (Charlie) Purdle of Washington, IL; Helen (Herb) Overlander of Mendon, IL; Leon (Geneva) Boyer of Adrian, IL; Betty (Jim) Henson of Plymouth, IL; and Jimmy Boyer of Carthage, IL.  Bill was also preceded in death by his son Danny Joe (Tink) in 1976 and his wife of 74 years, Betty, in 2017.

He is survived by his children, Judith (Steve) Huston of Tishomingo, OK; Bonnie Hemingway of Prosper, TX, and Thomas (Sharon) Boyer of Carthage, IL.  His surviving grandchildren are Brenna (Donny) Gentry of Sherman, TX; Jon (Melanie) Huston of Tishomingo, OK; Heather (Robert) Disney of Prosper, TX; Ryan (Lindsay) Melvin of Carthage, IL; Daron (Staci) Melvin of Staunton, IL; Jason Boyer of Carthage, IL; Christian (Leslie) Boyer of Ft. Madison, IO; Chad (Mindy) Boyer of Carthage, IL; Jennifer (Bryan) Redlich of Quincy, IL; and Nathan (Sherry) Boyer of Quincy, IL.  Also surviving are 31 great grandchildren and 8 great, great grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, December 4, 2021, at Moss Ridge Cemetery in Carthage. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 P.M. Friday evening at Printy Funeral Home in Carthage.  Memorials may be directed to the Family of William Boyer. Printy Funeral Home in Carthage is in charge of arrangements.

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