Theodore Sylvester Boyd

Theodore S. Boyd of Rochester, Washington, passed away at the age of 78 on May 23, 2019 in Olympia, Washington. Ted was born on Aug 13th, 1940 in the St. Joseph Indian Hospital which was operated by Franciscan nuns on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin. He loved his extensive family, was proud of his Indian heritage, and was a lover of nature.

Ted, born by his Indian name Wapanonay, was raised in Neopit, Wisconsin, by his father, the late Sylvester Theodore Boyd and by his mother Margaret Louise Boyd (born Waubeno). He was baptized and confirmed at St Anthony’s Church in Neopit, and he graduated from Shawano High School. Ted attended Marquette State University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, majoring in accounting, which became his life’s passion and profession.

From 1959 to 1963, he worked for the Milwaukee Solvay Coke Company as an accounting clerk, and from 1963 to 1968 as an accountant for the Polaris Corporation located in Milwaukee. From 1968 to 1972, he worked for Marquette University in Milwaukee as an internal auditor and from 1973 to 1976, he worked for the United Southeastern Tribes as a comptroller in Nashville, Tennessee. In his last job in 1976 he worked for the Seminole Tribe of Florida until the year 2000, the year that he retired at the age of sixty.

In his early years he was an avid trout fisherman. When 5 or 6 years old, he would use a pole from a young hickory or maple tree to fish for trout. Since then, he has trout fished in Juneau, Alaska and on the Katmai peninsula southwest of Anchorage; in Labrador, Newfoundland; on the Amazon River in Peru and on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Miami Beach where the biggest fish he caught was an eight foot long hammerhead shark. He has also fished on the Pacific Ocean and in several states throughout the United States.

Ted and his wife Henrietta met in Hollywood, Florida, and were married in Las Vegas in 1989. They traveled together to all 50 US states and to 50 foreign countries, including Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore; the European countries of Greece, Italy, Spain and France; the African country of Morocco and several Central American, Caribbean as well as South American countries, once even having climbed Machu Picchu with his wife.

Ted moved with his wife Henri to Rochester in 2001. Ted enjoyed spending time with the entire Hazel Pete family as well as the many community elders and members from the Chehalis and other Pacific Northwest tribes. Ted hosted many gatherings and dinners over the years. Family and friends especially enjoyed the annual Christmas party at his Rochester home.

His father Sylvester Theodore Boyd died in 1984 and his mother Margaret Louise Boyd passed away in 1988. He is survived by his partner and loving wife, Henrietta; and by her children: son Michael Billie and his wife Marnie, and their children Detoyyoh and Estelle; son Darian Washburn and his children Tymseila and Kesawin; and daughter Michelle Billie and her children Maurice, Gabrielle, and Jo.

Ted is also survived by his daughter Tracy and by his grandson Chadd; and by his daughter Francine, her husband Victor, and by his grandchildren Alexandra, Taylor, and Brooke. He is also survived by his brothers Alfred, Jeffery, Llewellyn, Gary, Bruce, and Anthony, and his sister Joan. Ted is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

A wake will begin at 2pm on Wednesday afternoon, May 29, at 18840 Anderson Road SW on the Chehalis Indian Reservation. The family will continue to greet visitors late through Wednesday evening, per their family tradition. The following morning at 10 AM on Thursday, May 30, funeral services will be held at Swede Hall at 18543 Albany Street SW in Rochester, Washington. Burial will immediately follow the morning service at the Chehalis Indian Cemetery on the Chehalis Reservation in Oakville, Washington. A meal at Swede Hall immediately follows the burial.