Obituary: Robert Boyd, 1949-2024

Robert
Douglas Boyd (aka Bob, Faj, Bao Tak Fai, Johnny Silver, Boob, and
Master Boyd), born in Burlington Vt., left this world on June 21, at
the tender age of 74, surrounded by his family. A unique, creative
character, he blazed his own path through life in pursuit of varied
creative endeavors — music, writing, and martial arts — and in
his most important role, as a proud and loving parent and husband.

From
his first performance at John J. Flynn Elementary School in the third
grade, singing “Sixteen Tons of #9 Coal,” to fronting dozens of
rock, country, rockabilly and blues bands over the years, to his most
recent venture — singing classics and playing jazz guitar from the
great American songbook — Bob was a gifted guitarist, vocalist and
showman.

As
a writer, he started off as a cub reporter for the Burlington Free
Press, before moving onto copywriting for print and radio ads
with a major ad agency in Burlington. He partook directly in their
productions, singing jingles, producing tv ads and doing his best
John Wayne impersonation for radio spots. He joined forces with his
good friend Connie Ramsey to form their own ad agency — known as
Ramsey Boyd and later Blue Moon Advertising. Their collaboration won
them coveted awards from Vermont to Boston, including a Clio, one of
the world’s most prestigious creative excellence awards. He wrote
and published several books about snake style tai chi and spent much
of his life writing fiction — even though those close to him knew
those stories were more autobiographical than he was letting on.

In
the mid-‘60s, he set off on a path that would become a central
focus of his life — the study of martial arts. From the early days
as a karate student achieving a fourth-degree black belt, traveling
to Okinawa, Japan, to learn from masters, becoming an instructor, and
taking over the Uechi-Ryu Karate School in Burlington, he never
stopped pursuing his study of martial arts. In the early ‘80’s,
he transitioned to tai chi chuan, and after years of teaching and
personal pursuit, he was sought out and accepted as a private student
by the Grand Master Ip Tai Tak in Hong Kong. He quickly mastered the
hidden system of snake style tai chi and became the adopted son and
second disciple of Master Ip, and the first ever American to be
brought into the Yang family tai chi chuan’s long lineage. Bob went
on to become an internationally recognized tai chi master, passing
his extensive knowledge of the snake style on to students in the
U.S., Canada and Europe. He was executive director of the Burlington
Tai Chi Institute and founder of the International Snake Style
Association, both with the mission to preserve and perpetuate snake
style sai shi for eternity.

Bob
was a voracious learner and devoted teacher, who for years had vowed
to pursue his creative passions until the day that he died — a
promise that he was able to keep. He was practicing tai chi up until
his final days on Earth. He touched so many people and enriched the
lives of all those he came in contact with. He was humble, patient
and generous with all his friends, family and students. He longed for
a fair and just world and strived to set an example for what a
peaceful, caring world could look like. It would be remiss to omit
that he had an extraordinary relationship with his family, especially
his son, Jackson. Theirs was a symbiotic relationship where each one
was the other one’s hero.

Bob
is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sydnee (née Silverman), of
South Hero, Vt.; his son Jackson (Luz Gonzales), of Chicago, Ill.;
sister, Sheryl Morehead (Tim O’Brien), of Burlington, Vt.; brother,
Stewart (Wendy Byrne), of South Burlington, Vt.; aunt and godmother,
June Terrien, of Burlington, Vt.; godchildren Polly Cain Mangan, of
Burlington, Vt. and Trevor Ford, of Austin Texas; brother-in-law,
Steven “Skip” Silverman, MD (Bonnie), of Sarasota, Fla.; nephew
Will Morehead, of Burlington, Vt.; nephew Danny Silverman, of Los
Angeles, Calif.; niece, Laurie Waldron (Josh), of Tampa, Fla.; two
grandnieces, one granddog, and a number of cousins; very longtime
friend and tai chi student, Ernie Pomerleau, of Burlington, Vt.;
Mabel Ip of Hong Kong; disciples Thierry Bai,of France, Orit Alkabetz
of France, Marcel Friederichs of Germany; and tai chi students here
and abroad. He was predeceased by his father, Stewart Boyd Sr.;
mother, Ann Clement; stepfather, Earle “Dexo” Clement;
parents-in-law, Al and Shirley Silverman (Sarasota, Fla.); his
beloved man’s best friend, Pudd; and dear friends, Dan Gibson
(Fletcher, Vt.), Ned Strianese (Burlington, Vt.) and John Mech MD
(Burlington, Vt.). Bob and Sydnee were longtime residents of South
Hero and recently spent winter months at their home in Portugal. It
was there that he was in closer proximity to his European disciples
and students.

Profound
gratitude goes to those who cared for him and his wife and son during
Bob’s critical time of need; to brother Stewart and wife, Wendy,
and the whole Vermont clan down at Trailer Estates in Florida; Ernie
Pomerleau; Elita Soria (Chicago); Steve Hawthorne and Sandrine Simon
(Costa da Caparica, Portugal); his devoted nurse, Jill (Bradenton,
Fla.); and brother-in-law, Dr. Skip, who worked tirelessly through
complicated barriers of the health care system to ensure Bob’s
recovery.

There
will be a memorial and celebration, hosted by his family on Sunday,
August 18, at Snow Farm Winery in South Hero, Vt. The family will
commence the event at noon with tributes to Bob, followed by the
celebration. RSVPs are appreciated, (email to sydneeAboyd@gmail.com).

A
memorial and reunion will take place for tai chi students and
disciples on Friday, August 16. Details to follow at a later date.
Donations in memory of Bob’s life and work may be made to any of
the following:

Worthen Library, c/o Kathleen Swanson, Community Lane, South Hero VT 05486

Champlain Islands Food Shelf, PO Box 24, North Hero, VT 05474

C.I.D.ER.
(Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources), PO Box 13,
South Hero, VT 05486

The
accolades are endless for Bob, but he was a writer and liked to keep
his prose simple. So, in the words of his musical hero Frank Sinatra,
“I did it myyyyyyyyy way.”

Arrangements
entrusted to Chicagoland Cremation Options of Schiller Park, Ill.

This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2024.