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Remembering a beloved local sports figure
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By CHUCK HAMILTON Sports Writer
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He was a man who possessed varied talents and interests, a man who truly embraced life and gave of himself without asking anything in return.
He loved the community and Mason County High School, where he served as the team statistician for many years for Royals' basketball teams.
Most of all, he loved and cherished his family, his wife Darlene, his three daughters and his eight grandchildren.
Danny Boyd, a man whom many will never forget, will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.
Life was far from easy for Danny while growing up as the oldest of eight children. He learned at a young age that hard work and sacrifice were essential and he lived his adult life having a positive influence on his family, friends and the kids he dearly loved at Mason County.
Danny taught at Maysville Community and Technical College, passing along his wealth of knowledge about computers to his students. Recently, he did the same as a substitute teacher at the high school.
His most important work was serving as a minister in the area. Danny's faith got him through the tough times he endured through the years.
His interest in sports was his other passion.
Danny followed the fortunes of the Cincinnati Reds closely, along with the University of Kentucky, but his main focus was on the school he adopted as his own, even though he wasn't a Mason County alum.
His family moved often while growing up and much of that time was spent in Carter County. But he played basketball at old Wurtland High School, where he was a tough, hard-nosed, 6-foot-3 forward. I can remember watching him play at Tollesboro High when I was a youngster, and in my eyes, he was a star.
Along with his interest in sports, he was fascinated with computers and was primarily self-taught when it came to them. He later would transfer that knowledge to his many students.
His lasting legacy will be that he was genuinely loved by so many people. All who ever came in contact with Danny would come away with a smile, simply because his smile was so contagious. When you spoke to Danny, you could feel him really listening to you and truly caring about what you were telling him.
People loved him so much because they were only returning a portion of the love he showed to them. By his actions and the way he carried himself, Danny spread joy everywhere he went and was a pleasure to be around.
As much as Danny gave of himself in the community and to the school, his family always came first.
Just last Wednesday, I enjoyed immensely the time I got to spend with Danny at the Rec Park as he ran the scoreboard while I covered the Mason County-Bourbon County softball game. The game turned into an old-fashioned pitcher's duel, with the Lady Royals winning by a 1-0 score.
Danny was extremely proud because his granddaughter, Brittany Black, earned the victory with her superb pitching performance. He never missed a game and he was always encouraging his grandchildren, just as he did the Royals, his adopted family.
He was looking forward to getting his extended family back together on his 59th birthday this summer. Danny and his cousin, Alice Bailey of West Union, have been busy planning the July 21 event and he was genuinely excited when he told me about it a couple of weeks ago.
You see, not only was Danny Boyd a well-loved and respected member of the community, as well as a loving husband, son, grandson, father, grandfather, uncle, and so much more, but he was also my first cousin, and my friend. |
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