Albert Sanford Boyson

Longtime Newtown Dairy Farmer And Bus Driver, Friend To All

Albert Sanford Boyson, 88, formerly of South Main Street, Newtown, husband of the late Catherine Ragaini Boyson, died July 22, with family members surrounding him, at St Marguerite d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston, Maine, where he had resided the past several months.

He was born in Bridgeport on August 3, 1917, the only child of Albert M. and Eva Sanford Boyson. He attended Newtown schools, graduating from Newtown High School in 1937.

Mr Boyson worked for the family dairy farm and milk delivery business in Newtown until selling the business to Marcus Dairy in 1968. “He delivered milk as far back as I can remember,” recalled longtime resident Cliff Walker, who lives near the West Street property farmed by Mr Boyson’s parents on West Street, and where Al Boyson grew up and lived until marrying Catherine Ragaini of Danbury in 1954.

Newtown resident Ed Forbell recalled Mr Boyson as, “A nice guy to be with. He had a great sense of humor. There was a group in town who liked to play practical jokes; sometimes he was the butt of the joke and sometimes not, but they had fun.”

Mr Forbell met Mr Boyson in 1945, when Mr Boyson was a constable for the town of Newtown. “As I grew up,” said Mr Forbell, “I helped on the milk route, and even after I got out of the service. He encouraged me to go on and wait for a good job with the telephone company, which I did.”

Longtime residents of Newtown might remember that Mr Boyson was known for his cars with red wheels, said Mr Forbell. “You could do that with a brush in those days,” Mr Forbell said. “It was acceptable and pretty sharp.”

Later, the two men became regulars with the original My Place coffee group. “The coffee group was a big part of his life,” Mr Forbell remembered, “even when he was ill. Al had friends everywhere.”

Mr Boyson was a Newtown school bus driver from 1968 until his retirement. He worked for several area charter bus companies, as well, starting at age 18 until age 80. These companies include Flying Eagle, LandJet, and Kelly Transportation of Torrington.

Mr Boyson was a member of the Newtown Hook and Ladder Company and for several years he was a constable in Newtown. He also served as assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Patrol 76 in Newtown, and for a long while he was a corporater at Newtown Savings Bank.

Mr Boyson also did contractual snowplowing, garden plowing, harrowing, and mowing. The mowing of Ram Pasture was his responsibility for many years. Mr Boyson carried out his contracts until poor vision forced him to stop at age 85. A friendly and well-liked personality, Mr Boyson said at his retirement that he knew just about everyone in Newtown.

He is survived by two daughters and their families, Judy Emch, her husband, Mike, and their children, Jeffrey and Jennifer; and Dianne Boyson and her husband, Greg Askew, and their children, Cierra and Gregory.

Funeral services were held Thursday, July 27, at Honan Funeral Home, Newtown. Interment was in Newtown Village Cemetery.

The Newtown Bee        July 28, 2006