Mort Boyd passed peacefully on December 26th after living a full and active life. Raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Mort signed up with the US Navy at 18 and spent three plus years in the service. He was commissioned as an Ensign and served on reconnaissance mission flight crews in Gibraltar and North Africa. He returned to finish his degree at Penn State in Agricultural Engineering and graduate work at the University of Massachusetts. He turned down numerous offers to fly for commercial airlines as he started his career.
His professional career had stops in Alliance, OH, Bettendorf, IA and finally with his new wife Shelly, landed in Ames, IA in 1968. Mort served on the faculty of the Agricultural Engineering department at Iowa State University for 30 years, retiring in 1998. He found academic advising to be the most rewarding part of his job, along with the classroom time shared with the thousands of students who passed through the department.
Mort spent his retirement working on antique cars and other projects. He visited Scotland on two occasions to research the Boyd family history. In 2015 he moved to Papillion, NE to be closer to his young granddaughters. He will be remembered as a husband, father, teacher, and mentor to all those that he touched throughout his life.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 51 years Shelva "Shelly" Boyd in September 2017. Mort is survived by his son Paul, daughter-in-law Nora, and granddaughters Margot and Eliza.
A memorial service to celebrate his life with friends and family will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, January 8th at Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 N. Sheldon Avenue, Ames, IA, with luncheon to follow. All who knew Mort are welcome to share remembrances during the service.