Kenneth Boynton Oxtoby

Kenneth Boynton Oxtoby, 69, passed away peacefully on June 21, 2025 after a brief illness. Ken was born on June 7, 1956 in New York City. He spent many childhood summers vacationing in Provincetown at Captain Jack’s Wharf. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in 1975, he spent a few years working as a furrier and as a taxi driver in New York City.

As a teenager Ken was involved in the struggle to end the Vietnam war. He joined Youth against war & Fascism (YAWF), the youth wing of Workers World Party.

As a full member of WWP, Ken was involved in the Irish liberation movement, the movement to stop U.S. wars on Central and South America, and the Anti-Apartheid movement. Ken stood firmly with those in the struggle against racism, any LGBTQ oppression and for the rights of women.

Ken moved to Provincetown in 1986 with the intention of staying only for the summer, but those plans changed when he met and fell in love with Jane Corbin. The two were married in 1987 at the Wellfleet Congregational Church. Daughter Racine Fiona was born in 1989, followed by William Bayard in 1992 and Eric Boynton in 1994.

Ken was a beloved member of the Outer Cape community. He had a wide skill set and was, a firefighter, a police dispatcher, a school nurse, a bartender but was best known as a paramedic. He was seen by many as the calm needed presence in emergencies. He was present for the first infant born in a Truro ambulance, followed a few years later by the first infant born in a Provincetown ambulance. He joined the Board of Directors of Outer Cape Health Services in 1996, which inspired him to obtain his nursing degree from Cape Cod Community College in 2004. He worked as an RN for Outer Cape Health Services for twenty years, retiring from full-time nursing in 2020 but continuing to work part time diem up until May 5, 2025.

Ken was a great contributor to the Outer Cape community. He was elected to

the Truro School Committee in 1994 and, with a few breaks, served right up until his passing. Ken volunteered almost everywhere someone was needed - Wellfleet Preservation Hall, Payomet Performing Arts Center, Provincetown Portuguese Festival, and many other institutions and functions. He was a co-chair of the Walsh Property Community Planning Committee and spoke in support of affordable housing at Truro’s Town Meeting in early May. Ken was a much-loved member of the Provincetown Beachcombers, where his cooking skills were lauded and his friendship and generosity were unforgettable.

Ken was a voracious reader and a cinephile. He and his family enjoyed participating in bar trivia, with many successes under the team name of the Magic School Bus. Ken and Jane were frequent world travelers and were such fans of cruise ships they always had the next one planned before the current one disembarked. They had returned from a recent trip to the Bahamas less than a month before his illness, with the next one a cruise out of Hawaii planned for the fall. Ken’s greatest love of all was his family.

Ken was predeceased by his father Toby Ewing Oxtoby and his mother Lillian Rosen Oxtoby. He is survived by his wife of 37 years Jane Corbin; his children Racine, William, and Eric, all of Truro; his half-brother John Oxtoby of Portland, OR; and many cousins. A celebration of his life will be held in September. Donations in his name can be made to the Beachcombers Club (Restoration Fund) PO Box 855, Provincetown MA 02657; the Truro Rescue Squad PO Box 2013 Truro MA 02666; the Lily House, www.thelilyhouse.org; or an organization of your choice.