Patrick Craig
Boyd (Pat)
Resident of
Berkeley Patrick
was born April
2, 1942 in
Waterloo, Iowa
and died
peacefully
January 27, 2010
in Berkeley,
California after
a long illness.
Pat was born and
grew up in
Waterloo, Iowa,
the middle of
three sons born
to Meg and Dick
Boyd. He married
Joy Drennen in
1965 and they
moved to
Berkeley, CA in
July of 1972
with their two
daughters, dog,
and cat. Pat had
many jobs, but
he was always a
teacher at
heart--mainly
because he
himself was a
voracious
learner and
loved nothing
better than to
find out
something new
and share his
excitement about
whatever that
was with others.
(Some called
them Dad-facts.)
Whether he was
teaching English
and reading
Hamlet's
soliloquy out
loud, making
perfect gelato,
or using the
Excel macros he
created to
accurately
estimate a
construction
project, Pat was
adaptable,
creative, and
willing to give
anything his
best shot. He
was also an avid
amateur
geologist and
had an amazing
ear for accents
and language,
but what most
remember about
him is his sense
of
humor--especially
in the face of
adversity. Had
he lived in
Shakespearean
England, Pat
would have been
a
Bard--traveling
from town to
town acting out
the bawdy parts
with grand
gestures, silly
voices, and
waggling
eyebrows. His
coping tool for
difficult
situations was
humor, and he
often held it up
like a lantern
against the
darkness that
pops up in life.
He was always
able to wring
something funny
out of tragedy
or stress, many
times turning
the mood
instantaneously.
Pat is survived
by all the
people whose
lives he touched
in ways large
and small,
including but
certainly not
limited to: his
two daughters
Annie and
Jessica, his
granddaughter
Katie, his older
brother Michael
and Mike's wife
Verlaine, his
younger brother
Matt, his nieces
and nephew
Margot, Kelly,
and Josh--and
countless
students, formal
or informal,
along the way.
Though he and
Joy divorced,
they remained
friends and in
close contact.
There will be a
gathering on
Sunday, February
7th, at the home
of a family
friend in
Berkeley. For
more
information,
please email
spottyhorse@gmail.com.
In lieu of
flowers, please
send donations
to your favorite
cause in Pat's
name. He'd have
liked that.
