Gloria Bernice Blue Boyer was born on February 13, 1932 in Sanderson, Florida to Sallie Mae and James Blue. She and her twin brother, Hallowith, were the youngest of nine children. She received the Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Florida A & M University at Tallahassee, Florida, and continued her study in graduate education at the University of South Florida at Tampa. Her teaching career included tenures as teacher at Poinsett Elementary in Cocoa, Florida, and teacher at Dag Hammarskjold Elementary and Lincoln Park Elementary Schools, Rochester, New York. During her years in Rochester she also served as Assistant Teacher of infants and toddlers in the First Baptist Church Sunday Morning Nursery at Macedon, New York. While in Rochester, she attended St. Paul AME Zion church and became very active with the youth church as a Sunday School Teacher helping with the dramatic club plays and the Youth Choir.

From 1976 until 1983, Mrs. Boyer was employed by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Child Care System where she served as Head Teacher at North Village Children’s Center and from 1983 until her retirement in 1996 as Supervising Teacher at New World Day School.

Mrs. Boyer worked tirelessly in her community in a number of capacities. Foremost among them were her activities with the Interfaith Council of Churches of Amherst where, as a representative of the Goodwin AME Zion Church, she organized teams of workers to collect food at area stores for the Amherst Survival Center. From 1995 until 2003 she served on the Board of Directors of the Amherst Survival Center. In 1999 she received the Community Service Award from the Amherst Survival Center for outstanding contributions.

Among the other awards Mrs. Boyer received in recognition of her professional, civic and religious contributions are the Award for Outstanding Supervisor of the Summer Youth CETA Employment Program, the University of Massachusetts 1989 Chancellor’s Citation, given in recognition of exemplary and outstanding performance in the service of the University, and the 1990 Lay Service Award of the Boston District of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in honor of her outstanding service.

Until she moved to Florida in 2015, Mrs. Boyer was an avid church worker and had been a member of the Goodwin African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Amherst since 1973, serving as Chairman of the Trustee Board and Chairman of the Deaconess Board. Mrs. Gloria Boyer departed this life peacefully on May 4, 2019, in Jacksonville, Florida surrounded by family.

Gloria was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Dr. Horace Clarence Boyer. She leaves to cherish her memory sisters Mrs. Armetta B. Cason, Olustee, Florida and Mrs. Fannie L. Morton, Jacksonville, Florida; sisters-in-law Mrs. Fairy Blue, Buffalo, New York, Dr. Minnie Boyer Woodruff, Orlando, Florida, Dr. Edythe Boyer Jones, Orangeburg, South Carolina, Mrs. Juanita Boyer, Maitland, Florida, Mrs. Edna Boyer, Manhattan, Kansas, Dr. Patricia Boyer, Huntsville, Alabama; niece and goddaughter Dr. Edythe Woodruff Stewart (Robert), Selma, California, great nephew and godson Thomas Clark Stewart and she leaves with heartfelt thanks and gratitude her niece, Ms. Laeutonia Cason-Drayton, Olustee, Florida. She also leaves a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 11am at the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst with burial to follow at Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. A reception will be held immediately following at Bistro 63 in Amherst.