Luther Rhinehart Boyd

Luther Rhinehart Boyd, 80, died Monday morning, January 4, 2021 at his home in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Luther spent most of his working years as an attorney on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in Hattiesburg. Luther was born July 23, 1940 to George Luther Boyd and Mattie Lee Rhinehart Boyd of Louin, Mississippi. Following the death of his father, proprietor of Boyd’s Store, Luther and his mother moved to the Gulf Coast. As a young man, he worked at the Sun and Sand as a lifeguard then entered college at University of Southern Mississippi. As an attorney, Luther began his career with Corban and Gunn and the Hancock Bank Trust Department. He then moved to Hattiesburg. Luther worked at the First Mississippi National Bank in Hattiesburg (1973-1984) where he organized their Trust Department. He later served as their general counsel and Senior Trust Officer. In 1984, he moved to the Gulf Coast and joined Eaton, Cottrell, Galloway, Lang and Stone, now Balch and Bingham, where he remained partner until he retired. Luther practiced primarily corporate, public utility and banking law. After receiving his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Southern Mississippi, he taught economics at Auburn University until 1968. He graduated from Samford’s Cumberland School of Law. He chaired the Bank Attorneys Committee and the Mississippi Bankers Association from 1982 to 1983 and was former chairman of the William Carey Board of Trustees on which he served for six years. Luther also chaired the Mainstreet Development Committee of the Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and was appointed by the mayor to the Gulfport 2000 Committee which was organized to develop a long range-range plan for the city’s future. He was a member of the Harrison County Bar Association. Luther was preceded in death by his parents, his two brothers--Howard Johnny Boyd and Horace Buford Boyd--and his sister Erma Elizabeth Boyd. He is survived by his wife, Christine May Boyd as well as his long-time friend Terry Bell (Lisa) of Cherryville, North Carolina. He is also survived by his sister Jo Margaret Corban and her two daughters, Lee and Joanna as well as his grand niece Margaret; his daughter Elizabeth Boyd of Memphis, Tennessee; and his son Bill (Martha) of Durham, North Carolina, and their children William, August, Betsy, and Richard, and their grandmother Frances Hash. Luther was inducted into the Gold Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity upon fifty years of membership. He was as a member of the Pass Christian Yacht Club and former member of the Gulfport Yacht Club. For many years, Luther was a vibrant member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Gulfport. Luther loved fishing, sailing, reading, and being with family and friends. Everyone who came in contact with him appreciated his sense of humor and his intelligence. All enjoyed listening to his experiences and stories. He was greatly loved, and still is, by his family as well as business associates and friends. His absence will be greatly felt by all who came in contact with him. A memorial service will be announced and held at a later date. His interment will be held Monday, January 11 at noon at the Louin Cemetery in Louin, Mississippi where he will be laid to rest with his family. Reverend Bo Roberts, former pastor of St. Mark’s and good friend of Luther’s, will officiate. Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street in Gulfport, is honored to serve the Boyd family.