LaMerle Boyd

LaMerle Boyd, a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and steadfast community member, passed away on October 31, 2024, at the age of 84 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Born in East Texas on November 25, 1939, to Edwin Monroe Matthews and Relda White, LaMerle was the eldest of four children. Raised at the end of the Great Depression on a small farm in Anderson County, LaMerle often remarked, “I came from the pea patch.” By the late Sixties, she was a mother of three young children, living in Athens, TX, and married to Dr. Curtis Boyd.

In 1971, after visiting Santa Fe and finding it different in all the right ways, the young family pulled up roots and relocated to New Mexico. LaMerle was drawn to the unique beauty, culture, and spirit of the Southwest. The family settled into an old adobe home on lower Canyon Road.

Despite her first marriage coming to a close, LaMerle often said that moving to Santa Fe was the best decision she ever made. She was an avid gardener, birdwatcher, and enjoyed hiking and camping in the wilds of New Mexico.

In the early 1970s LaMerle chose to pursue her law degree at the University of New Mexico. As one of just a handful of female students she excelled and went on to become a respected real estate attorney, earning awards and accolades. She was a savvy woman who built a flourishing business, the Capital City Title Company. Throughout her career, former employees would say she was the best in the business, and always considered her as a friend as well as a boss. 

LaMerle met John T. Midyette III in the mid-70s, a local architect and larger-than-life character whom she would later marry. For fifteen years he was a partner and ally who stepped into her world and helped raise her trio of rambunctious offspring, while supporting her dreams and career. 

In 1988, with the children out of the house and Midyette in the rear view mirror, LaMerle became reacquainted with an old friend, Frank Hoback. A pilot and bluegrass musician with a keen ear for a corny pun, Frank stole her heart on their first date. They became inseparable, and for the next 35 years, LaMerle and Frank built a life filled with love, adventure, and mutual respect. They were each other's best friends and forever soul mates. We imagine them in the skies above, playing Mexican Train, reading good books, listening to great tunes, and holding hands among the stars.

LaMerle was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Hoback of Santa Fe, NM and parents Edwin Monroe Matthews and Relda White of Palestine, TX. She is survived by children Curt Boyd (Susan) of Archer, TX, Lori de Ravello (Renan Ravello) of Santa Fe, NM, and Kyle Boyd (Charlotte Angel) of Brooklyn, NY; siblings Edwina Huddleston (Bobby), Danny Matthews (Yvonne), and Nima West (Tim), all of Palestine, TX. LaMerle was the proud grandmother of four and a doting great-grandmother. She loved Frank’s children (Joe Hoback and Denise Lynch) and their children as her own.

In Lieu if flowers, please consider a donation to The Santa Fe Botanical Garden, or Santa Fe Friends of Traditional Music (TradFest).