Sister Mary Eunice Boyd, R.S.M.

June 25, 1930 ~ December 3, 2022
Resided in:
Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth - Sister M. Eunice Boyd, R.S.M., 92 years, a Sister of Mercy for 73 years, died peacefully after a long illness at Sedgewood Commons, Falmouth, on December 3, 2022. She was born in Portland in 1930, the daughter of James Patrick Boyd and Margaret Frances Maloney. After graduating from St. Joseph’s Academy, Portland in 1949, she entered the Sisters of Mercy, Portland, from Holy Cross Parish, South Portland.
Sister Eunice began her studies at the College of Our Lady of Mercy, Portland, (forerunner of St. Joseph’s College, Standish), receiving her B.S. in Ed. She went on to receive her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
She started her teaching career in the following elementary schools: Sacred Heart School, Portland; Immaculate Conception School, Calais; St. Dominic’s School, Portland and St. Mary’s School, Houlton, and Cathedral High School, Portland.
In 1970, Sister M. Eunice joined the faculty of St. Joseph’s College, Standish as Associate Professor in the Science Department. During her long teaching career, her students described her as an excellent teacher. They enjoyed her style and the information she brought into the classroom from her traveling experiences.
In 1979, Sister Eunice took a sabbatical during which she traveled to Nairobi, Kenya where she was a visiting researcher at the prestigious International Louis Leakey Memorial Institute. There she was able to examine the artifacts of species from Kenyan and Tanzanian excavations. She was delighted to meet Louis Leakey himself.
In addition to her work in Nairobi, Sister studied in Germany and Egypt and as well as visiting Italy, France, and Spain. She was eager to bring her new learnings back to her students at St. Joseph’s College.
During her trip to Europe, she was particularly happy to visit Dublin, Ireland and the sites of Mother Catherine McAuley’s convents. Sister Eunice was proud of her Irish roots and always happy to learn more about them.
Sister Eunice was a member of several professional and academic societies; The American Teilhard Association for the Future of Man, Delta Epsilon Signa (St. Joseph’s College), Pi Lambda Theta (U. of PA). She also served on the Board of Trustee of Mercy Hospital, Portland, and St. Joseph’s College, ME.
A special thank you to the Staff of Sedgewood Commons, Millay Unit and Compassus Hospice for the excellent care they gave Sister M. Eunice.
In addition to her parents, Sister M. Eunice was predeceased by her brother, John Boyd. She is survived by her brother, James “Sonny” Boyd and his wife Marjorie, Amherst, VA; nieces, Claire, Catherine, Cecile McAllister; several cousins and by her religious community.
Visiting hours will be on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, from 3 – 5 p.m. with a Prayer Service at 5 p.m. at Conroy-Tully Walker South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. Prayers will be recited in the chapel on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 9:15 a.m. followed by a 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Cross Church, 124 Cottage Road, South Portland. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery, South Portland. To view the livestream of the Prayer Service or the Mass of Christian Burial, please visit www.facebook.com/ConroyTullyWalker . The video will be located in the Videos section. We will begin the livestream 15 minutes before the service begins.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, 966 Riverside Street, Portland, 04103, if you wish.
Sr Eunice was a dear friend of my mother’s family growing up. I was then lucky to have her as my advisor & teacher at St Joseph’s college. God bless her and may she rest in Peace
My mother, Kathleen Flanagan Bergeron, was Sister Eunice’s (Gerry) first cousin. They were close all their lives, almost like sisters because neither one had a sister. They even spent the last weekend before Sister Eunice entered the convent together.
I’ve known Sister Eunice all my life, she was my aunt. When I was growing up, she always had a way of making you feel special, with a warm smile to share. I’ll always remember her kindness.
I was named after her! The story I’ve been told all my life was that when Sister Eunice was entering the convent,she could not keep her name” Geraldine Mary” and my mother told her mother,Margaret that if she had a girl,she’d name her Geraldine Mary,in Sr.Eunice’ s honor. And of course for Confirmation I chose ” Eunice”. My parents were great friends with the Boyd’s and Sr.Eunice was the same age as my brother,Tom Downs. Later,Sister Eunice taught Science at St.Joe’s to my niece Barbara. After that Sister Eunice lived with Sister Mini( Sr.Cabrini) who was Tommy Valente’s aunt.( He was my brother in law). I still cherish the Bible Sister Eunice gave to me on my wedding day. Condolences to her family,and the dear remaining Sisters of Mercy.Sincerely,Geraldine Mary Downs Merrill (“Geri)
Hi, I was so sorry to hear of Sisters Eunice passing. I love the nuns as friends through the funeral home. Conroy Tully. My dad is Paul Tully noes a lot of nuns. I will miss sister Eunice. I helped her at cvs and shaws. From, Kristen Tully
I was so sorry to hear of Sister Eunice passing. I liked her a lot. I used to help her at cvs and shaws. I new her through the funeral home Conroy Tully walker. And seeing her around. I will miss her a lot. My dad Paul Tully new her well. Sorry for your loss. From, Kristen