SARATOGA SPRINGS — Sharon Walker Boyd, devoted wife, mother and friend, artist, gardener and ardent advocate for children and the less fortunate, died peacefully Sunday, October 15 at her home.
She was born April 2, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, to Ruth Petersen Walker and Lt. Lewis Midgely Walker, Jr. (USNR), while he was serving in combat in the Pacific theater of World War Two.
Sharon attended public schools in New Jersey, graduating from Westfield High School in 1962. At Skidmore College, she majored in studio art, studying under the artist Arnold Bittleman. Sharon was the photo editor of her Skidmore graduating class 1966 yearbook, returning to assist with photography for the 1967 yearbook under the mentorship of the photographer Joseph Alper. As a student, she created the portrait sculpture of Lena Spencer that today watches over performances at Caffe Lena.
After graduation from Skidmore, she promptly embarked on a campaign to help others. Her first job was with the New York City Police Athletic League, organizing youth basketball games. She later did social work for New York City, the State of New Mexico and Schenectady Head Start before co-founding Saratoga County’s first day care center in 1970.
She continued her social work on the in-patient mental health unit at Saratoga Hospital under the leadership of Dr. Xavier Mastrianni in the 1970s, then with the Economic Opportunity Council’s senior citizen lunch program. In the 1980s, she turned full time to rearing her own children after their adoptions from Colombia, SA.
In later years, she became a freelance professional gardener, and was among the devoted local alumnae who volunteered to maintain the Skidmore College Alumni Memorial Garden on North Broadway. For many years, she sang with both the Bethesda Episcopal Church choir and the Skidmore Community Chorus. As a community activist, she was a tireless advocate for women’s reproductive rights, and was active in many political campaigns, briefly serving as chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee in 2006 and 2007.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Gordon McArthur Boyd; daughter Louisa Boyd Wolverton (Austin) of Huntersville, NC; son James Walker Boyd (Kaitlynn); grandsons Leandro, Cruz and Xavi, all of Saratoga Springs; sister June Walker Rodman (Nathaniel) of Chapel Hill, NC; and brothers Lewis M. Walker III (Leigh), of Greenville, SC and Geoffrey Walker of Phoenix, AZ; numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and in-laws.
Relatives and friends may call from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, October 27 at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518-584-5373).
A choral Eucharist will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 28 at Bethesda Episcopal Church, 26 Washington Street. Immediately following the service, all are invited to a reception at Embassy Suites Hotel, 86 Congress Street, where there will be an “open mic” for testimonial statements by friends and family members. Parking for both the church and hotel is accessible from Congress Street.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial donations be made to RISE Housing and Support Services, 127 Union Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Donations may be made online at: www.riseservices.org
Online remembrances may be made at burkefuneralhome.com
