John Boyd, beach-raking artist
John Boyd, known for his intricate beach raking art on Fort Myers Beach, died on Aug. 30 according to Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches. Boyd had helped raise funds for the organization. He was 52.
According to a Gofundme page set up by his sister Keli Smith, that was linked to the Facebook page of Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches, Boyd had gotten sick a couple years ago.
In an interview in 2020 with the Fort Myers Beach Observer, Boyd said he was a retired auto worker and was working to get into the Guiness Book of World Records with his raking.
“Fort Myers Beach is a very special place to me because I would spend much time every year as a child. People are friendly and generally curious about my art,” Boyd said at the time. “I’m thankful to be the first to bring this art to a beach so close to my heart. My art is ‘simplicity with elegance’ giving me a platform to talk to so many, who see them, globally, without speaking directly to them.”
Smith said that Boyd was born in Lancaster, Ohio and grew up in “The Shores” in east Fort Myers.
In her Gofundme page for Boyd, Smith said “He was loved by many. As a child, John, spent a long time at his Aunt Eva’s farm in Burnt Chimney, VA. He loved playing with toys that she had placed in a small cast iron kettle. He loved picking grapes, petting the cows, and picking berries for ice cream making. As he grew up, we realized that he had a brilliant mind. He was accepted at MIT, where he briefly attended.”
Smith, of Montana, said Boyd was “always very artistic. He was a wonderful musician. As a child he liked to make up songs and play them on the autoharp. As he matured, he taught himself to play guitar. He loved to write songs and sing them to his mother. He also could play piano, by ear.” He was also known for his drum-playing skills in high school.
According to Smith, Boyd would sketch out his designs for his beach raking sand artwork on paper “and then use mathematics to enlarge his drawings on the beaches of south Florida.” In addition to Fort Myers Beach, Boyd would also visit Sanibel and he was known as BOYD Sand Artist.
“He got sick a couple of years ago and could not stand to draw his designs any longer,” Smith said. “He was always hoping that he would get better, but his health declined quite quickly. Since John worked on his own, he has no employer benefits. The family is asking for help with his cremation and services.”
Steven Ray McDonald, who founded Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches, said he met Boyd via Facebook in 2020. McDonald shared a message that Boyd sent him on Facebook that said “these Arches represented more then just a structure that you drove under. These arches became intertwined with people’s excitement, joy and happiness, of making it to such a beautiful beach. As a child, my family moved here in 1979. Fort Myers Beach holds so many great memories for me. When invited to bring my art and help bring awareness to the Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches, there was never (any) hesitation.”
McDonald said it was Boyd’s idea to “further our cause through his artwork.”
McDonald said that Boyd donated prints of his artwork to Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches fundraising events and the Woman’s Club Christmas Tree event. “He created artwork on the Beach at Lani Kai before Rock The Arches. Boyd’s artwork was part of our online auction. He was part of every event. He tried breaking the world record for the biggest sand artwork to help our project along.”
McDonald said a leg injury suffered by Boyd slowed him down.
McDonald said Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches will place a brick in the Kings Walk Etched Brick pathway with the name “Boyd Sand Artist.” McDonald said “it is the least we can do.”
The Gofund me page for Boyd can be found at https://gofund.me/b665980a.
There are no funeral arrangements. Smith said Florida friends are working on memorial plans.