Celebration of life for Neal E. Boyd to be held Nov. 18 at Southeast

Friday, November 9, 2018
Neal E. Boyd

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — A celebration of life service for Neal E. Boyd will be held at 3 p.m. Nov. 18 at Academic Hall Auditorium on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

Boyd, who would have turned 43 on Nov. 18, died June 10 at his home in Sikeston. A nationally-known entertainer and public speaker, Boyd won “America’s Got Talent” in 2008 and performed at many high-profile events in the area, was the recipient of Southeast Missouri State’s Distinguished Service Award and created the Neal E. Boyd Endowed Scholarship in Performing Arts in 2015.

Boyd recorded an audio message to family and friends that starts: “I’ve had a lot on my mind: What I would say to family and friends if I ever had to say goodbye.” That recording will be played at the end of the service.

Former Missouri Sen. and Lt. Gov.Peter Kinder, a friend of Boyd and his family, will be among those making remarks.

Born Nov. 18, 1975, in Sikeston to Michael Boyd Sr. of Sun Valley, Calif., and Esther (Rogers) Boyd of Sikeston, Boyd discovered opera in junior high and became enamored by the passion and skill of the Three Tenors. He taught himself to sing in Luciano Pavarotti’s and Placido Domingo’s operatic styles. Blessed with a strong and expressive lead tenor voice, his talent pushed him onto the stage in school choirs and stage productions. He was a Missouri State High Schools Activities Association all-state selection in 1993, earning several No. 1 and No. 2 honors during his high school singing career.

Beyond his voice, Boyd’s vibrant personality and lively sense of humor made him a standout at Sikeston High School, where he served as senior class president and graduated in 1994.

Boyd earned degrees from both Southeast Missouri State University (political science, speech communications) and the University of Missouri at Columbia (music).

At Southeast, Neal was active in student government, the Interfraternity Council, Student Activities Council, Residence Hall Association, Presidential Ambassadors and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

He was a frequent soloist for Southeast’s University Choir and performed many lead roles with the Opera All-Stars. Those included scenes as “Alfredo” in Verdi’s “La Traviata,” “Nemorino” in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’amore” and “The Duke” in Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” His full-scale collegiate performances included roles as “Ferrando” in Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutti,” “Eisenstein” in “Die Fledermaus” and “The Negro” in “The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd.” He performed numerous roles with the University of Missouri’s Show-Me Opera scenes program, including “Fenton” in Verdi’s “Falstaff,” and “Lennie” in Floyd’s “Of Mice and Men.”

In 1996, Boyd had a memorable solo performance at the Show Me Center at President Dale Nitzschke’s inauguration, where he stepped in at the last minute in place of Maya Angelou.

In 1998, Boyd was selected for the Missouri Legislative Internship Program and moved to Jefferson City where he worked for State Representative Paula Carter. He was elected Speaker of the House in the interns’ legislative session.

In 2000, he won the Music Teachers National Association’s (MTNA) national championship (vocals), his first major break, while studying music at Mizzou. This led to two performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City (2001 and 2002) and a trip to tour Italy. A short while later, he had been named “the Voice of Missouri,” an honor he loved.

After graduation in 2001, Neal taught middle and high school music classes for Sikeston R-6 for one year.

He would continue his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music, and later earned a master’s degree in management.

He returned to Mizzou to play the role of York in the premier of the musical “Corps of Discovery.” York was a slave of William Clark during the exploration of the American West, better known as the Louisiana Purchase. The play was commissioned by the university to celebrate the Lewis and Clark expedition’s bicentennial.

In the years that followed his education, Boyd enjoyed singing, teaching, speaking, and working as a salesman and personality for the national insurance company AFLAC.

In 2006, Boyd was asked to be the featured performer at Southeast’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Celebration Dinner, and shared the stage at the Show Me Center will the eldest son of the slain civil rights leader, Martin Luther King III.

Boyd became nationally known after becoming a fan favorite on NBC’s ratings blockbuster “America’s Got Talent” in 2008. From the beginning, he was a standout in the pool of more than 200,000 people who tried out for the show. He began appearing in national commercials weeks before the season started in June, and was featured in an emotional 10-minute segment that closed that premiere. NBC had a No. 1 ratings hit for the rest of the season. On Oct. 1, 2008, Neal clinched the $1 million prize.

He went on to headline Las Vegas shows at both the MGM Grand and the Las Vegas Hilton. His first national tour went to Dallas, Houston, New York, Boston, Clearwater, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Chicago and Washington, DC. He signed record deals and recorded and released two albums “My American Dream” and “My Christmas Wish.” He performed in concert halls, on military bases, and for professional sports teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL), and National Basketball Association (NBA).

The City of Sikeston named the month of October “Neal E. Boyd Month” and gave him the key to the city.

In 2008, Boyd received the Distinguished Service Award from Southeast.

In 2009, he was inducted into his fraternity’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony in St. Louis.

In addition to music, Boyd’s heart was motivated throughout his life by public service and community involvement. Boyd was among the young people who worked for eight-term congressman Bill Emerson, and considered Jo Ann Emerson a close friend. He sang at Bill’s funeral in 1996 and in 2003, he was part of the delegation and ceremonial opening of the new $100 million Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, and one of the first Missourians to cross it in the small parade that followed.

Boyd sang for four U.S. Presidents — George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — and for seven governors. He also sang at the funeral of Mel Carnahan.

Under the Blunt administration, Boyd was appointed to two state commissions: the Missouri Workforce Development Board and the Missouri Training and Employment Council.

He is survived by his parents, his brother, Michael Rogers-Boyd Jr. and his wife Dawn of Ste. Genevieve, his nephews Xavier Boyd and Isaac Boyd, and niece Harlee Boyd, all of Ste. Genevieve.

He was preceded in death by his nephews, Michael “Tripp” Boyd III and Trace Boyd, formerly of Ste. Genevieve; his grandparents, Bill “Willie” and Girtharee “Sweetie” Boyd, formerly of Meridian, Miss.; and Howard and Dorothy Rogers, formerly of Meridian.

In 2015, Boyd established an endowed scholarship to celebrate his education and experience and to support future students at Southeast Missouri State University. Friends may remember Boyd through gifts to the Neal E. Boyd Endowed Scholarship in Performing Arts at the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, One University Plaza, MS 7300, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. For more information, please contact the Foundation at (573) 651-2203 or foundation@semo.edu.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: