Biography:

Boyd Clayton Blackwood, a creative director, writer, gardener, devoted husband, father, brother and grandfather, passed away on September 28, 2026. Boyd was born on May 9, 1951, in Bremerton, Washington, to Chet and Betty Boyd Blackwood. His father was serving in the United States Coast Guard at the time. While Boyd was still very young, the family returned to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he spent his childhood alongside his brother, Mark, and sister, Betsy.

Boyd attended the University of Tulsa, where he earned a degree in Creative Writing. His lifelong love of storytelling, film, art, and the written word became the foundation of a remarkable creative career.

Boyd's creativity was evident from an early age. His childhood and young adult interests included magic, ventriloquism, cartooning, and drama. Before he began his professional career, he even hired himself out as entertainment for children's birthday parties, bringing his love of performance and storytelling to young audiences.

After moving to Fayetteville, Boyd established his own advertising agency, Barham & Blackwood in 1977. The agency later became Blackwood, Martin & Associates. In 1985, Boyd returned to Little Rock, where he continued his career as a freelance creative director and married the love of his life, Julie Blackwood. He eventually joined Cranford, Johnson, Robinson, Woods (CJRW), where he served as Senior Vice President and Creative Director until 2004.

Throughout his advertising career, Boyd received numerous ADDY Awards and other honors for his creative work. Among his accomplishments was a National ADDY Award in 1994 for his work on an Alltel Mobile campaign. He also contributed his creative talents to work connected with the Clinton Administration, including work surrounding the development of the name AmeriCorps.

After leaving CJRW, Boyd continued to work as a freelance creative director and pursued his lifelong love of writing. He recently returned to writing fiction and published two mystery short stories.

Boyd's greatest joy was his family. He was a loving and devoted father who took an active interest in the lives and activities of his daughters, Lauren, Melanie, and Sarah. He embraced and supported all three girls throughout their lives. Whether attending ballet, theatre performances, or other artistic pursuits, Boyd made time to be present and encourage the things his daughters loved.

Boyd had a lifelong love of film and the arts, and he shared that passion generously with his daughters. He introduced them to all kinds of films, plays, literature, and art, opening their world to works and ideas they might not otherwise have encountered. His curiosity and appreciation for creativity became a part of the lives of his children as well.

He brought that same enthusiasm and creativity to his grandchildren. Boyd made a point of visiting them several times a year and finding ways to create special memories with them. He once sent each of his grandchildren the starter plants for a strawberry garden and made a humorous video teaching them how to plant and care for them. Although none of the gardens ultimately survived, the project was quintessentially Boyd: creative, thoughtful, funny, and a way to share something he loved with the people he loved.

He also made elaborate Halloween haunted-house advent calendars for his grandchildren, combining his talents for writing, drawing, storytelling, and design. These projects reflected the qualities that defined him throughout his life: he was deeply creative, gentle, funny, and always willing to turn an ordinary moment into something memorable.

Boyd had a particular passion for flower gardening and took great pride in his beautiful garden. He also loved growing strawberries and enjoyed sharing his enthusiasm for gardening with his family. His creativity could be found everywhere—from his professional work and writing to his drawings, his garden, and the imaginative projects he created for his grandchildren.

Boyd is survived by his beloved wife, Julie Blackwood, to whom he was married since 1985; his daughters, Lauren Kelly and her husband, Tim; Melanie Boss and her husband, Joshua Bentley; Sarah Bernstein and her husband, Brian. His grandchildren are Anabelle Yates, Lucas Bernstein, and Max Bernstein. His brother, Mark Blackwood and his wife Mimi: his sister; Betsy Blackwood Willis.

Boyd will be remembered for his creativity, his humor, his love of film, art, literature, gardening, and storytelling, and most of all, for the love and devotion he gave to his family. He had a gift for bringing imagination into everything he did—and for sharing that gift with the people he loved.

A visitation, celebrating Boyd’s life, will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Trapnall Hall, 423 E Capitol Ave, Little Rock AR 72202. Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com