Fern Leona Boyce

Beckwith Services & Monuments

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Fern Leona Boyce
(November 14, 1921 - April 24, 2011)

Jetmore - Fern Leona Cowles Boyce, 89, died April 24, 2011 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She was born on a farm in Ness County, Kansas on November 14, 1921 to Lydia and Walter Cowles. She attended grade school and 3 years of high school in Ness County. The family moved to Hodgeman County where Fern completed her senior year and graduated from Jetmore High School. Everything changed as World War II began. Fern’s sweetheart, Glen Boyce, was drafted and left for service in the United States Army. Fern decided that was what she wanted to do and as soon as she turned 21 (the required age at that time) enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp. She completed basic training and Motor Transportation School at Ft. DeMoines, Iowa. After school she was transferred to Ft. Adams, Rhode Island located about a mile from Newport, RI. There she drove an ambulance, mail truck and staff car for several officers. This job took her all over the area and as far as Boston, Massachusetts. After about 6 months, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp was changed to the Women’s Army Corp and staying in required re-enlistment. Fern re-enlisted and served as a Chaplin’s assistant at Ft. Wright, New York doing office work and helping with Sunday services. She applied for a discharge in 1945 to come home to help her father care for her mother who was very ill. Glen was discharged in October, 1945. Fern and Glen Boyce were married on November 23, 1945 in Larned, KS. That marriage was blessed with two daughters. Glen and Fern farmed in Hodgeman County. Fern was a hard working farmer’s wife and mother. She always had a garden and chickens to help put food on the table. She was a very talented seamstress. Although it wasn’t her favorite thing to do, she was a great cook. Fern was a 4-H sewing leader for many years and choir director at the First Baptist Church in Jetmore. She worked part-time during tax season in Jack Dalton’s office while the kids were still in school. Years later, Glen and Fern drove a school bus for 8 years and Fern worked in the business office of Hodgeman County Health Center for 11 years, retiring in 1987. Upon retiring from farming, Glen & Fern resided in Jetmore where she was a member of the Jetmore Senior Center, until the early 2000’s. Fern has resided in assisted care for the past several years. Fern is preceded in death by her mother and father, one brother, Kenneth Cowles, and one sister Ruby Delaney, her husband Glen and her daughter Sandie. She is survived by one daughter, Pat Ardern of Stillwater, OK, 4 grandchildren, Craig Gustin, Christina Humes, Shannon Layman and Jeff Layman and three great grandchildren, Cooper Humes, Andie Humes and Marcus Layman.

Funeral will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at the United Methodist Church, Jetmore, with Pastor Dennis Fulton presiding. Visitation will be from 9a.m. to 8p.m. Thursday and Friday at Beckwith Funeral Home, Jetmore. Burial will be in the Fairmount Cemetery, Jetmore.

Memorials may be sent to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in care of the funeral home.