Born in 1929 to Martha and Keel Dodd, he recently celebrated his 97th birthday. Boyd was a lifelong resident of Round O, SC, except for 4 years at USC and his time in the Army. He graduated from Walterboro High School and the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, major in Accounting. At USC, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. After graduation, he returned to Round O to run Dodds Store, a business his grandparents began in 1882. It was still in the original building: a wooden structure attached to the family home by a covered porch. He built the “new” store in 1959 and ran the business until 1977. (The community took shelter in the store during Hurricane Gracie in 1959. It was the only concrete block building in the community and deemed to be the safest.) Later, he and some friends ran Triangle Exchange, an antiques and collectibles business, out of the same building.
In 1955, Boyd enlisted in the Army and was based at Fort Devens in Massachusetts. After he left active service, he continued serving his country in the Army Reserve until his Honorable discharge in 1963. In the late 1950’s Boyd and 2 of his brothers started Round O Milling Company, a feed mill that produced and sold livestock feed, seed, and fertilizer, along with buying, storing, and selling corn, soybeans, oats, and other grains. He later sold his interest in that business to his brothers Joe and John, and focused his efforts on building a new building for his family store business. In addition to running Dodds Store, Boyd began working for the State Department of Education as a School Bus Driving Instructor in 1965. He later was promoted to County Supervisor (Colleton County) and then Area Supervisor of the School Bus Maintenance Shops in multiple counties.
In 1957, he met the love of his life, Harriette Benton, and they were married in 1958. They had 62 wonderful years together until her death in 2020. Boyd is survived by his daughter Emily Bridges, MD (Charles), son David Dodd (Susan), 3 granddaughters: Leland Bridges, Harriette Davis (Seth), Martha Hodges (Perry), and 2 great-grandsons Henry Davis and Charles Davis. All of his descendants except Leland live on family property in Round O. Boyd is predeceased by his wife Harriette, eldest daughter Ellen Dodd, parents, brothers Joe, John, & BillyDodd, and sisters Margaret Hulsey and Edith Dodd.
Boyd was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was very family-oriented. He had a great love of nature and instilled that into his children. Boyd knew every inch of the woods, swamps, fields, canals, and ponds on Dodds Farm. He was an avid turkey hunter for most of his life. At almost any point on the farm, he could tell a story of being in that location and finding roosting turkeys, flushing a deer, startling a bobcat, coming across a huge rattler, or shooting a deer or turkey (sometimes 2 with one shot). Boyd strove not only to preserve the land and wildlife habitat but to improve it.
In the 1960’s and 1970s, the wild turkey population was much decreased in SC, and Boyd was actively involved in programs to help the population recover. Now it is common to see numerous flocks of wild turkeys while riding through the farm. In 2006, Boyd and son David were presented with a Forest Stewardship award by the Carolina Forestry Commission for management of his property in accordance with a Forrest Stewardship Plan. This included harvesting and replanting of trees, establishing and maintaining food plots for wildlife, and managing water sources on the property. This property has been in the family for over 100 years. In 1997, Boyd and Harriette bought a vacation cabin in McMillan Hidden Valley, Hendersonville, NC. They loved their time in the mountains, discovered some old friends there, and made many new friends in the close-knit valley community.
Boyd was a lifelong member of Bethlehem Baptist Church and at various times served as deacon, Sunday School teacher, RA leader, and Superintendent of Sunday School. He was a member of the Bethlehem Masonic Lodge in Round O for more than 70 years, the Shriners, and the Lions Club for more than 50 years. He was on the board of directors for the Colleton County Council on Aging and was instrumental in getting Meals On Wheels started inColleton County. Boyd was a member of Cypress Hill hunting club and enjoyed the fellowship and meals of their Wednesday night gatherings.
In his final days, Boyd received excellent care at the Veterans Victory House in Walterboro and from Crescent Hospice. Boyd’s memorial was held at St. Jude’s Church, Walterboro, SC, followed by interment at Fox Cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Church, Walterboro, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Round O, or Crescent Hospice.
