Roderick B. Boyd

Roderick Barry Jackson Boyd, age 69, of Mackinaw, IL passed away suddenly on Sunday February 12, 2023 at his home in Mackinaw. 

Visitation will be at Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, IL  on Thursday, February 16 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Funeral services will also be held at Grace Presbyterian Church on Friday, February 17 at 10:00 a.m. with Rev. Kerry Frantz officiating. Interment will follow at the Evangelical Mennonite Cemetery in Groveland, IL. 

Roderick (Rod) Barry Jackson Boyd, the son of Norman Angus Jackson and Gloria Gene Graham, was born on November 28, 1953 in MacPherson, KS. Shortly after his birth his father passed and the family moved to Winona Lake, IN in early 1954. In 1956, his mother married Harold Franklyn Boyd and Rod was adopted. He spent the remainder of his youth in Morton, IL; Newton Mearns, Scotland; and Aurora, IL. He attended Greenville College from 1971-73 but transferred to Aurora College, where he graduated in 1975. 

Rod married Janet Ellen Miller on July 6, 1974 in Aurora, IL; and the two moved to Peoria shortly thereafter. They had 4 children: Elizabeth (Beth), Emily, Steven, and Stuart. Janet preceded him in death in June 1994. 

Rod and Jennifer Leigh McFee were  married on April 19, 1997 in Morton, IL where they lived until 2001, when they moved to Mackinaw, IL. 

His Christian faith was thoughtful and reflective, showing in his love for his family, his devotion to his friends, and his compassion for all living things. His love for God was never separated from his love of others, and although not being trained as theologian, he read the Bible daily (with commentaries) and was able to weave the teachings of Jesus seamlessly into his own life. 

His singular quality was his ability to see the best - and evoke the best - in all those who knew him. This could be seen in his love and devotion to Janet and Jennifer. But his love for his family extended well beyond his own children (who found in him a source of constant encouragement); to his grandchildren (who found him endlessly entertaining), to his nieces and nephews (who adored him), and to his friends (who never wanted the conversations to end). 

He was also captivated by all things related to life itself; the entire created world ranging from animals and plants to psychology and genetics were subjects of investigation and appreciation. From early on he was fascinated with fish, toads, frogs, horses, cows, and dogs (especially his beloved Boxers). But he was also an expert at gardening: growing among other things tomatoes, corn, strawberries, raspberries, apple trees, peach trees, and a particular affinity for cherry trees. 

He loved travelling and all that went with it. He loved fishing, canoeing, and camping (and led multiple trips to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota). But he also loved visiting castles in Ireland, investigating cemeteries where ancestors were buried, and trekking through Scandinavia. 

Rod is survived by his wife, Jennifer; brothers Birney Lee Jackson (Nancy) Boyd, James Harold (Michelle) Boyd, and Craig Alan (Janine) Boyd; his children, Elizabeth Marie (Dave) Moser, Emily Suzanne (Jason) Booker, Steven Andrew Boyd, and Stuart Douglas (Becca) Boyd; and grandchildren, Jana Moser, Molly Moser, Noah Moser, and Sullivan Booker; his father-in-law, David McFee, his mother-in-law, Wanda McFee, and his mother-in-law, Katherine Gower Miller; his sisters-law, Julie Marie (McFee) Rumbold, Linda Lee (Miller) Bonifas-Guzman, Kathryn Lynn (Miller) Longo; and his brothers-in-law Daniel Wayne Miller and Alan Jay Rumbold. 

Memorials may be made to https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org or https://www.gracepres.org/ 

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