Obituaries : Boyd J. Milroy

Boyd J. Milroy

VINTON—Boyd J. Milroy, 96, died Wednesday, January 21, 2015, at the Vinton Lutheran Home due to complications of age.
Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 27, 2015, at the Vinton Presbyterian Church with Rev. Jessica Crane-Munoz officiating. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, January 26, at Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home in Vinton. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Vinton, with military rites by Iowa Military Funeral Honors.
Boyd was born on a farm in Delaware County near Ryan, Iowa, on May 27, 1918, the son of Samuel Andrew and Mabel Creel Milroy. He graduated from Manchester High School and went on to Coe College in Cedar Rapids where he played football. He left Coe due to a football injury and moved to Texas where he worked as a Border Patrol Officer. He then joined the United States Marine Corps and served during WWII in the Sixth Marine Division. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in the Battle of Okinawa.
Following his military service, he returned to Iowa and continued his education. He began studies at the University of Iowa in 1946. On December 21, 1947, Boyd was united in marriage with Grace Bowstead in the chapel at First Congregational Church in Iowa City. The couple resided in Iowa City until Boyd’s graduation from the College of Law in 1951. That same year, he and Grace moved to Vinton where Boyd began practicing law with his brother and nephew at Milroy, Milroy & Milroy. In 1968, he was elected County Attorney for Benton County and started his own practice. In 1974, he was joined by his son-in-law, Morris Eckhart. Never one to sit in a chair, Boyd retired at the age of 90 in 2009.
Boyd was a 64-year member of the Iowa Bar Association and was also on the Board of Governors of the Iowa State Bar. He served as President of the Benton County Bar and attorney for the City of Vinton. He was a past President of the Vinton Kiwanis Club, a member and Elder at the Presbyterian Church and twice the Chairman of the Benton County Republican Party.
Boyd enjoyed gardening, fishing, and reading. He loved woodworking and was a fix-it man, building his own home in rural Vinton, along with 2 other houses.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Grace Milroy of Vinton; one daughter, Marti Eckhart and her special friend Fred Hoffman of Vinton; three sons: Rod Milroy and his wife Vicki and Craig Milroy and his wife Mary, all of Palo Alto, CA, and Doug Milroy and his wife Gina of Vinton; 10 grandchildren: Peter Eckhart, Ann (Ben) Cleaver, Jenny (Wally) Luciano, and Sam (Lucy), Joe, Kate, Lauren, Stephi, Jake and Grace Milroy; and 6 great-grandchildren: Ava Eckhart, Isabella and Ally Luciano, and Cal, Cash and Sawyer Milroy.
He was preceded in death by his parents; 9 siblings; and son-in-law, Morris Eckhart;
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Vinton Presbyterian Church or the Vinton Public Library.
Van Steenhuyse-Russell Funeral Home is caring for Boyd and his family. Condolences may be left at vsrfh.com.