Evelyn "Kit" Boyd Peterson's Obituary
90 years old, passed away peacefully on February 28th at the Kaplan Hospice Residence in Newburgh, NY.
Born of October 8, 1933 in Port Arthur, TX, she was the daughter of Charles Martin and Hallie Hazel
(Howard) Boyd, and sister of the late Jonathan Edward Boyd.
Loving mother of Karla Marie, Richard Eden II (fiancée-Jenn Dotson), and Christopher “Boyd” (wife-Julie). Loving grandmother of Zachary Eden, Jonathan Richard, Richard Eden III, Kelly Elizabeth, Kathryn Marie (fiancé-Christopher Neely) and Christopher Boyd II (wife-Jennifer), and great-grandmother of their son Aiden Christopher.
Kit graduated a year early from high school and attended University of Texas, and in 1955 she took a
year off from college to model in NYC. She started her travelling adventures early!
She then transferred to University of MD, College Park where she met, dated and became engaged to
Richard “Dick” Eden Peterson. Kit graduated in 1956 with a BS in Home Economics and Interior Design and moved back home to TX to work at the Texas Electric Company giving cooking demonstrations to an audience with new recipes on new kitchen appliances.
Kit married Dick on August 24, 1957 in Port Arthur, TX and was happily married for 52 years.
While Dick was completing his degree the Georgetown University Dental School, Kit worked at Pepco Electric Company in Washington DC as a home service advisor giving cooking demonstrations of new recipes and new appliances to audiences.
After Dental School graduation, Dick was enlisted in the Air Force and was a dentist stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, NC during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Upon discharge from the Air Force, Kit and Dick moved to Potomac, MD where they built their home
with an office addition for his home-office dental practice-Kit was the Office Manager. Dick was active in the Washington DC Dental Society where Kit was an active member in the Dental Wives Auxiliary. They travelled to dental society meetings in cities throughout the USA and Europe. The dental group families decided to buy condominiums at Bryce Mountain, in Bayse, VA where all families enjoyed summer and winter sports together.
Kit was involved with many charities in DC-organizing fund-raising events at several embassies and a Gala fund raiser at the newly opened Kennedy Center.
Kit and Dick and their children were very active members of St. Francis Episcopal Church, Potomac, MD. Kit was Chairperson of the Altar Guild, and she also taught Sunday School with Dick. Kit helped for several years with fund-raising for the Potomac House Tour.
Kit earned her Real Estate License in 1977.
Rick and Boyd played sports at Winston Churchill High School, in Potomac, MD. Kit and Dick were very active in the Football Booster Club and friendships with other parents and families grew from that group until now which is called the “Empty Nesters” where they travelled together and enjoyed many adventures. They continue to get together today.
In 1999 through the early 2000s, Kit and Dick enjoyed travelling to NYC frequently to watch Zach’s performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, The Japan Society, and Broadway. They came to Eastman School of Music and attended Zach’s Senior Recital and Graduation in 2009.
When Dick retired from practicing dentistry, they moved to Ellicott City, MD-Rick and Boyd live nearby. Kit loved spending time with her sons and her grandchildren. Kit and Dick joined St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ellicott City, MD.
Kit volunteered as a Wellness Facilitator with Howard County Department of Aging. She also worked as an SAT and standardized test evaluator.
A few years after Dick’s passing, in 2015, Kit moved to New York to live with Karla, Zach and Jonathan. She earned her Education for Ministry Degree at University of the South at 83 years old! Way to go!
Kit advocated strongly for autism awareness, increased resources, and the need for increased staff wages to a living wage on local and state levels. She wrote an article on autism awareness and the importance of grandparents’ involvement in the lives of these amazing grandchildren. She was invited by Autism Speaks to ring the closing bell at the Nasdaq with families of loved ones with autism. Kit and Karla worked several years as committee members on the Autism Speaks Walk in New York City.
Kit was active at Church of Messiah, Rhinebeck, NY and even started having breakfast at Pete’s with fellow parishioners before the Thursday Morning Communion Service-similar to what she and Dick had enjoyed in Ellicott City.
She enjoyed participating in continuing education classes at Bard College Lifetime Learning Institute in New York.
Kit supported Jonathan in person at all of his Special Olympics competitions-both the Spring Games (track and field) at West Point, and, the annual New York State Winter Games (men’s figure skating) held in various New York cities where she would dress warmly and cheer for him from the stands. Kit loved to design and sewed many of Jonathan’s costumes for his skating competitions.
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Faith, family and friends were so important to Kit.
She was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin and friend who was always there for you when you needed someone to talk to-she was there to listen and wanted to help in any way she could. She loved to entertain at home and at special events and cooking and baking with her children and
grandchildren.
She had a wonderful eye designing furniture layout for our apartments and homes, and had a great sense
of style in selecting furniture and décor. She enjoyed traveling the USA and Europe, loved Christian theology, church history and touring historical sites. She loved the theater, attending plays and operas. She played: piano, oboe, flute, piccolo, marimba, and vibraphone. Kit loved planting flowers every year whether it was around their pool or in window boxes. She always loved spending time with her family-loved her children and grandchildren so very much and was always interested in all aspects of their lives: academics, sports, music, dance and their work.
On beautiful days, she loved driving on Hurley Mountain Road with all of the windows down in her car and singing to all of her favorite songs on Yacht Rock!
Kit loved sunsets, being at the mountains and being at the beach
What’s your fondest memory of Evelyn?
What’s a lesson you learned from Evelyn?
Share a story where Evelyn's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Evelyn you’ll never forget.
How did Evelyn make you smile?