Colonel Earl W. Boyd, U.S. Air Force, Retired, of Moneta, died on Tuesday, November 26, 1996, at age 75 in a Salem hospital. He was born October 9, 1921 in Erie, Pa., the son of the late Kliness Boyd and Mary Thompson Boyd. He is survived by his wife, Mildred C. Boyd of the family residence in Moneta; a son, Michael K. Boyd of Heidelberg, Germany; a daughter, Virginia J. Lilley of Richmond; a stepson, Richard L. Sutphin of Goodview; stepdaughters, Nancy Sutphin and Margaret Sutphin of Bedford; four grandchildren, Lauren, Richard, Christopher, and Rae Lea. He was preceded in death by a sister, Ruth Gustafson. Col. Boyd joined the U.S. Army Air Corp as a private in January 1942, became an Aviation Cadet, earned his wings as a navigator and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and retired as a Colonel of the U.S. Air Force in January 1973. During his 31 years of military service, he spent ten years on overseas assignments and accumulated over five thousand hours of flying time. During his later years of service he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Director of NATO Affairs and developed international programs of U.S. and West European defense against the Soviet Bloc. His military awards include the Legion of Merit (awarded twice), the Meritorious Service Medal, the Commendation Medal and Campaign Medals for the American Theater, the Middle East and Africa theater, the Asiatic Pacific theater medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Berlin Airlift Insignia. After retirement from the Air Force, Col. Boyd joined the RAND Research Corporation as an international military/political defense analyst of east-west issues. During his ten years with RAND he gained international recognition as an expert on NATO defense issues in Washington and NATO Capitols. During his association with RAND, Col. Boyd authored and co-authored seven RAND Reports. Several were released to foreign governments by the Secretaries of Defense and State and were also endorsed by Congressional Defense Committees. In 1973 Col. Boyd purchased a farm near Moneta and developed it as a tree farm as part of a life-long hobby of conservation. A memorial service will be conducted Saturday, November 30, 1996, at 2 p.m. at Carder-Tharp Funeral Chapel. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. Interment will be at Arlington Cemetery at a later date. Memorials may be made to Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C., or the Moneta Rescue Squad, Route 2, Box 446-A, Bedford, Va

The Roanoke Times,VA, Nov. 27, 1996