Bobbi Boyce, neé Roberta Louise Hilley, 67, passed away at her home on July 23 – one day shy of her 68th birthday – in Campbellton, Texas, after a valiant battle against cancer. She is survived by husband Gerald (Jerry) A. Boyce of Campbellton; daughter Beverly Rudkin Ingle and her husband, Joe Ingle, and granddaughters Anna Mathias, Katheryne Ingle, Evelyn Ingle and Victoria Ingle, all of San Antonio; sisters Evelyn Hilley Reed of Granbury, Texas, and Marilyn Hilley Pettit of New York, New York; and numerous loving nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends.
Bobbi will be remembered best for her generous nature, sharp wit and quick smile. She held advanced degrees in education and taught in Texas public schools for 30 years, spending the majority of her career as a reading specialist and seventh-grade reading teacher at Porter Junior High in Austin.
In the 1990s, Bobbi discovered clogging, a dance style rooted in Appalachian mountain dancing, and became an avid fan, dancing with, directing and co-directing several clogging teams in Texas, including Clickety Cloggers in Austin. She also served as the president of the Texas Clogging Council and chaired the Texas Clogging Rally, the council’s largest statewide event. Bobbi made numerous friends across the country through her involvement in clogging, which was a source of great joy for her during the past 20 years.
In 2004, Bobbi and her husband, Jerry, moved from Buda to Campbellton, where they lived on 26 acres dubbed Riverbreeze Ranch. Bobbi thoroughly enjoyed country life, feeding their longhorn steer, spending hours by the fire (even in 80-degree temperatures), and nurturing cactus gardens. One of her greatest joys was hosting family at the ranch, including several family reunions.
A memorial service to honor and celebrate Bobbi’s life will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church in San Antonio, to be followed by a brief reception in the church parlor. All who loved Bobbi and her family are invited to attend.
