Lenora Mae Boyd, Utica
https://www.fitzgeraldfuneral.com/obituary/lenora-boyd
October 17, 1924 - November 13, 2022
Lenora Mae Boyd, age 98, of Utica, Kansas, died on November 13, 2022, at Rhode Island Suites, Ransom. She was born on October 17, 1924, at the home located south of Pendennis, Kansas to Howard A. and Mildred M. (Mendenhall) Sigsworth.
She attended various county schools in Ness, Lane, and Sheridan counties and her freshman high school year at Sheridan County High School in Hoxie, Kansas. In December 1940, her family moved to Ontario, California where she graduated from Chaffey High School in 1943.
World War II had started in 1941. Convair (now General Dynamics) was building B-24 bombers in San Diego Plant #1. She went to work as a clerk in the welding dept. where she met her husband, C.E. (Gene) Boyd and married in 1945. He was drafted into the Air Corp and was sent to Nuremburg, Germany. She taught school in Gove County while he was away.
On his return in 1946 they went back to San Diego, he to Convair, and she worked for several years as a department head at a title company.
They parted in 1953. During the next several years, she attended UCLA and Whitties College, became an airline stewardess, taught at a private airline school and at the same time served as the registrar for the school.
In 1957, she went to work processing new business for an agency of New England Life Insurance Co. She worked in this business for the next seven years.
In 1964, she met and married her second husband, moved to Missouri, and lived on a ranch, co-owned a resort, and co-owned a trucking company.
In October 1975, they dissolved their marriage, she moved back to Los Angeles, and worked in life insurance business for four years. She bought a home in Riverside County, CA, moved there and worked for a family of farmers who were selling and developing their land for homes, mall, etc. until she retired in October 1989.
She then moved back to Kansas where she resided for the next 33 years. She was active in her church, local library board, welfare of kids in the Youthville organization at the Dodge City Campus.
She never received a college degree even though she attended five different colleges; the courses she took were always pertaining to either her current job or a personal interest at the time. The last course was an IRS course on partnership and corporate taxation at the University of California at Riverside.
She enjoyed painting flowers, knitting caps and sweaters for kids at Youthville, reading, gardening, and home decorating.
She was proceded in death by both parents, both sisters, all aunts and uncles and fifteen cousins.
Survivors include two nieces, a stepson, Denzil Hellesen and wife, Shirley of Lebanon, MO and several cousins from the Mendenhall and second cousins from the Sigsworth families.
She requested no visitation and cremation. Graveside committal Service will be held at the Gove County Cemetery on Saturday, July 29, 2023, 10:00 a.m.
Memorial contributions may be given to Youthville or the Utica United Methodist Church.
Memories and words of support may be left for the family by writing in the guest book.
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