Donald Hirsch Boyer, Jr.

Mr. Donald (Don) Hirsch Boyer, Jr., passed away on Saturday, July 13, 2019 at Kline Hospice House after a brave battle with Lewy Body Dementia. Don was born November 29, 1943 in Shenandoah, Virginia to the late Donald Hirsch Boyer, Sr and the late Pearl Juanita (Thompson) Boyer. He attended Frederick High School and was a graduate of the University of Maryland in 1966 where he was a member of multiple ACC champion Track & Field teams. He was united in matrimony to Sharon Lee Todd on October 3, 1964. Don was a physical education teacher at Middletown Middle School and coach of Middletown High School Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field. He was a member of the 1968 championship Frederick Falcons football team, active in Frederick Steeplechasers and Masters Track over the years, and founded the Knight Striders Youth Track program in 1980. Don coached in five international Deaflympics teams in New Zealand, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy and Australia. He was inducted into the Frederick County Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, and he founded, with his wife, a US-Russian athletic cultural exchange program in 1995. Don fulfilled a lifetime dream of riding his bicycle coast to coast in 38 days in 1992 and later wrote a book about his journey. During his time as Middletown’s coach, Boyer coached more than 5,000 athletes, producing 76 individual state champions, 18 relay state champions, 10 outdoor Track & Field team state titles, 6 cross-country team titles and 1 indoor track state title. He is survived by his wife Sharon, son Monte Boyer, daughter Donna Gravett; son-in-law Dennis Gravett, brother Gerry Boyer & wife Bonnie, sister Joyce Kutlik & husband Butch; brother-in-law Larry Todd & wife Sharon; brother-in-law Glen Todd and wife Mel; sister-in-law Patricia Herber and husband Dave; grandson Grant Boyer and granddaughter Riley Boyer. He is also survived by nieces Jennifer Serenyi, Charity Blount, Kate Herber, Heather Boyer-Dean and nephews Troy Todd, Shane Todd and Josh Herber. He was predeceased by his son Ronald Boyer and his sister Bonnie Shankle. He will be forever missed by his family, friends in the US and overseas, his two cats Track and Field, the greater Maryland Track fellowship and the community of Middletown. The funeral services will be held on July 27th at 11a.m. at Keeney and Basford Funeral Home in Frederick, Md. The community is encouraged to join his celebration of life at 3p.m. on July 27th at Middletown High School in Middletown, Md. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Kline Hospice House, Lewy Body Dementia Association, or The Community Foundation of Frederick County (Don and Sharon Boyer Scholarship Fund).