Louis George Boyles

From humble beginnings in a Great Depression-era small Mississippi town sprung the remarkable life of Louis George Boyles, who passed peacefully from this earth on Wednesday, Sept. 27, after a long battle with cancer. Born Nov. 2, 1931, Lou was the first child of Lottie Mae and Louis Gates Boyles, who, along with his brother, was killed in a train accident at the lumber mill where they worked when Lou was only 8 years old. Despite the depression, Lou’s mother made ends meet selling excess eggs and produce from their small garden that Lou and his brothers would tend before school.

The population of Laurel swelled when World War II brought an Army airfield to Laurel, and Lottie Mae met and married Lou’s stepfather, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Clarence Virgil Beech. They were transferred to Roswell, N.M., and had a daughter. Lou and his brothers enjoyed life in New Mexico, but eventually the family moved back to Mississippi.

Lou’s family attended West Laurel Baptist Church, where he developed a love of gospel music that would lead him to specializing in drums in the Jones County Junior College Band. With the promise of music school, Lou answered his nation’s call and joined the Navy Reserve for a short time before joining the U.S. Navy in 1949.

The Navy had plans other than music school for Lou. After boot camp at Naval Training Center, San Diego, Calif., they sent him to electronic school and leveraged his strong swimming background at the Naval Submarine Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He served in many assignments including Commander Service Force, Pacific; USS Takelma (ATF-113); USS LSSL-104; USS Current (ARS-22); Naval Operations Support Group, Pacific; and Naval Special Warfare Group, Pacific.

Lou completed BUD/S training at NAB Coronado, Calif., which he described as “tough,” graduating in August 1953. He was a member of UDT-5, UDT-11, and UDT-13 and SEAL Teams 1 and 5, spending most of his time in the Pacific Theater, including four trips to Vietnam.

While on active duty, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, China Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, and FIFTH Good Conduct Medal.

He retired in 1975 as a chief petty officer after 27 years, which included 11 years as a Leap Frog, the Navy’s demonstration parachute team, and many years as the officer-in-charge of the Combined UDT Photo Lab, providing photographic support for all facets of the Special Warfare Community, including public relations, recruiting, intelligence, NASA space recovery operations, and more. He was a lifetime member of the UDT-SEAL Association.

He spent the next 12 years working as an underwater diving superintendent in the oil industry, constructing and repairing pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Scandinavia, and the Bering Sea. During this time he met and married his British wife, Suzanne, before settling in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Lou retired from the offshore business but soon became a marine deputy and bailiff in Sandpoint, where he served for seven years. His tenure included a daring water rescue, saving a man after his helicopter crashed into Lake Pend Oreille while performing water bucket drops during the Kilroy Bay fires. Lou received a commendation for his heroism from the U.S. Forest Service. During their 18 years living in Sandpoint, Lou and his wife formed a nonprofit organization called Friends of the Shelter. Along with a dedicated working board of directors, they oversaw the construction of the first-ever animal shelter in Sandpoint, which opened its doors in 1991.

In 2001, Lou and Suzanne began another adventure, leaving their Sandpoint home to travel the country for seven years in an RV, visiting friends and family along the way. They spent winters in Florida and Palm Desert, Calif., where Lou spent many hours as a docent at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Lou eventually moved to the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Mississippi. In July 2013, he traveled with 110 other Allied troops on an honor flight as the guests of the South Korean government, where they received medals of appreciation for their service during the Korean War.

Lou’s Mississippi roots gave him the strength he needed for a grueling Navy career that he loved and a fight against cancer that we all hated. He traveled the world sharing his love and talent for music, photography, and diving, and he never stopped learning. He loved life and laughter, and those qualities followed him throughout his journeys.

Lou is survived by his loving wife of nearly 39 years, Suzanne Boyles; his children from his first marriage, Kimberly Boyles of Alexandria, Va.; Kirk Boyles and Lorie Raiola of San Diego, Calif.; Kathi Boyles of Elkhorn, Wis.; and Kerri Boyles and Mike Gibson of San Diego. He is also survived by his granddaughter, Jessica Boyles and fiancé Chris Landry of Green Bay, Wis.; and his brother, Jimmy Boyles of Jackson, Miss. He is predeceased by his brother, Harold Boyles; and a sister, Carolyn Nelson.

A funeral service will be held following the 2018 SEAL Team reunion in San Diego.