Glenn Thomas Boyd, 1935-2020
Glenn Thomas Boyd, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel among the Sub-Saharan African Affinity Peoples in Kenya, died May 16, 2020, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was 84.
Boyd was born Oct. 24, 1935, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to the late Clarence Truman and Lavacia Ann McKlesky Boyd. He became involved in music early. He was a member of the YMCA Boys’ Chorus and actively served in his church. He graduated from Capitol Hill High School and received the Bachelor of Music Education from Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee. Glenn was a gifted vocalist and met his future wife, Jeanine Hart, through their shared love of music. They were married on Aug. 23, 1957.
After OBU, Boyd followed God’s call into full-time music ministry serving churches in Oklahoma and Texas. Glenn was a charter member of the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma and was also a founding member of the Centurymen. Boyd then received the Master of Church Music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.
In 1971, the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) appointed the Boyds as music missionaries to East Africa, where Glenn and Jeanine taught music, theology and education at the Baptist Seminary of East Africa in Kenya. In 1980, they returned to Oklahoma and Glenn was appointed as director of church music for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. In 1988, the Boyds were reappointed as missionaries and returned to East Africa. In addition to his music ministries with the Baptist Theological College of Kenya, Boyd worked for two years as Kenya mission administrator and for two years as missionary caregiver for the East Africa region. The Boyds retired as missionaries in 2000.
Glenn was a member of Southern Hills Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, for 45 years. He served as a deacon, committee member, Worship Choir member, Jubilee Choir member and as music leader for his Sunday School class.
Glenn was the recipient of lifetime achievement and service awards from Capitol Hill High School, Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was presented with the F. Royce Brown Award from The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma and the W. Hines Sims Award from the Baptist Church Music Conference.
Boyd is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jeanine; two daughters, Rebecca Johnson (Scott) and Janet Aery (Danny); a sister, Elizabeth Myers (John); six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A celebration of his life was held at Southern Hills Baptist Church on July 18, 2020.
Memorial donations may be made to the Glenn T. Boyd Scholarship Fund at Oklahoma Baptist University https://www.okbu.edu/giving/boyd-scholarship.html.
Read an obituary here.