Anita Lust Boyd

Anita Boyd, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, died peacefully at Salem Lutheran Home,on January 6th, 2013. She was 93 years old and lived in Oakland, CA. The daughter of Leo and Anna Lust, Anita was born in Banes, Cuba on July 28, 1919, and grew up in Butler, the fourth of eight children. She was married to Edward S. Boyd of Mountain Springs, NJ. They built a home in Packanack Lake in Wayne, NJ, where they raised their five children. Anita found her vocation early on as a reading teacher while teaching her own children how to read. A gifted private tutor, certified in the phonics-based Carden reading method, she transformed the lives of many children (and some adults) by teaching them to read. After her children left home, Anita completed a Master's Degree in special education, moved to Bloomingdale, NJ and continued her work as a teacher at the Richard Butler School for many years. Upon retirement in 1990, she transcribed and annotated the handwritten autobiography and writings of her late uncle, Dr. Benedict Lust, a pioneer of alternative medicine and health cures in this country. The book is still in publication as The Collected Works of Benedict Lust, Founder of Naturopathic Medicine. Mother was the center of our family. We will miss her story telling, her inspirational sayings, her piano playing and song at family gatherings and her ability to recite poetry for any occasion. She is survived by son, Christopher S. Boyd of Orchard Park, NY, daughters Elaine Ginnold of Oakland, CA, Jennifer Boyd Sosenko of Valencia, CA, and Anne Boyd Wein of Denver, CO, eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Her daughter, Susan Pass, predeceased her in 2004. She is also survived by sisters Louise Walinsky of Falls Church, VA, Gloria Grannis of Joliet, IL, Lauren Proctor of Freehold, NJ and Helen Ebers of Butler, NJ and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her former husband, Edward S. Boyd, her brother, John Lust and sisters Leona Murray and Frances McFayden. According to her wishes, there will be a memorial service at St. Anthony's Church and interment at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Butler, NJ later this year.