Lt. Col. Winfred R. "Fred" Boyer, USAF Ret.

Lt. Col. Fred Boyer, departed his last fix on June 16th, 2021 at the age of 80. He was a Master Navigator and enjoyed assignments in multi-motor aircraft with KC, RC, DC and AC designations.  His was married to his wife, Judith High Boyer, for over 59 years. He is survived by his wife Judy and his children: Dana B. Evans, of Woodway,Texas, Patrick R. Boyer of Mt. Juliet ,TN  and Bennett W. Boyer. of Pensacola, FL. An identical twin, Winfield C. Boyer lives in Hertford, NC. There are 10 grand children. Fred was preceeded in death by his parents, William M. & Ramona M. Boyer. “Fred” & “Win” were born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on 22 August 1940. They graduated from Norristown High School in 1958 when Fred matriculated to The Pennsylvania State University. There, he joined the USAF ROTC program. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a 2nd Lt. with a BS degree in geography. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Later, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

    During his distinguished military career, his combat decorations were numerous from the Vietnam era and included a Distinguished Flying Cross plus other typical awards. Management roles included the functional area chief (FAC) for all PACAF aerial targets at Clark Air Base and Wallace Air Station, Republic of the Philippines. Another assignment made him an acquisition manager for a new Air Force target, the MQM 107. This evolution provided significant savings for future exposures. Two similar assignments  were as the Airfield Manager, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea and Eglin AFB, FL. As the Chief of Services at Hurlburt Field, FL, he earned the designation “Best in MAC.”

    After his Air Force retirement in 1989, he worked briefly as a defense contractor for several companies. However, his role as a REALTOR started in 1994. Most of his hundreds of successful transactions were with the C-21 Wilson Minger Agency, Niceville FL. The duration of this routine exceeded his active -duty career and provided much satisfaction until 2020.

    Fred was active in the community with the Niceville Chamber of Commerce,  TROA (Retired Officer’s Association), The Heritage Museum of NW FL, and was a life member of the Florida Wildlife Federation. He was a volunteer at Plew Elementary School where he sponsored the Chess Club and served as a mentor. Fred was very active with his church, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Emerald Coast (UUFEC) in Valparaiso. For many years he was the facility manager. He was a member of the Arbor Day foundation and loved to “inspire others to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.”

    Fred was an avid golfer, sailor, enjoyed cooking, travel, gardening and photography. Mostly, he enjoyed his grandchildren and family. The “grands” include: Katy Evans, Paul Evans, William Evans, Mary Elizabeth Evans, Daniel P. Boyer, Scott Boyer, Josh Boyer, David Boyer, Jacob Boyer and Brendan Boyer. He will be remembered as a man of integrity, leadership, bravery, generosity, and a sense of humor.

     A celebration of life will be on June 26th at 2:00 pm at the UUFEC in Valparaiso and is open to all family and friends. In lieu of flowers, a contribution is encouraged to a favorite charity. One may go on line to offer condolences to the family and sign a guest book. McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home of Niceville is entrusted with arrangements.

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