Sharon Boyd, of Quincy, IL, died on Monday, April 11, 2022 at Blessing Hospital. She was 79 years old. Sharon was born on July 8, 1942 in Colorado Springs, CO, the daughter of Austin and Fern (Patterson) Clampitt. She was married to John Boyd, a veteran of the United States Army, on May 7, 1976 and he survives today.

To say that Sharon loved dogs would be a true statement but it would also be a disservice to her appreciation for them; she adored and cherished them. While Sharon was a humble champion for dogs, her tenderness extended to all animals. Saint Francis of Assisi once famously proclaimed that, “Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission – to be of service to them wherever they require it.” Even the patron saint would have struggled to find someone who cared for animals the way that Sharon did.

Sharon had many other interests and passions in her life. The changing of seasons, namely from winter to spring, invigorated her and gave her pleasure in life. Ever the purveyor of natural beauty, she had an enduring love for the perennial spectacle of flowers blooming in spring. Sharon was also a published author and an accomplished artist in the fields of ceramics, crocheting and painting. In the last years of her life, Sharon vivaciously researched her own genealogy and discovered branches of her ancestral tree that spanned centuries and continents.

There is a colloquial expression that we often use to remember a person in spite of their physical absence: “Gone, but not forgotten.” This phrase is irksome because as long as something is not forgotten, it cannot be gone. As long as we dream, as long as we remember, that person is not gone; their continued existence is substantiated by our memory of them. Sharon Boyd is neither gone nor forgotten as long as the people she touched continue to live.

In addition to her husband, she is also survived by her daughter, Suzan Graham (Gary), her grandchildren, Matthew Denum and Kimberly Tipton (Jared), her great-grandchildren, Monroe Tipton, Washington Tipton, Mattis Tipton and Atlas Tipton and by her niece, Marveena Shanahan (Chris).

Sharon was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Diana Clampitt.

Cremation rites have been accorded and no formal services are planned at this time. Memorials may be made to the Quincy Humane Society in her memory. Duker & Haugh Funeral Home has taken the lead on handling the funerary arrangements.

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