Monica Boyd
Monica Leigh Boyd
07 Feb 1969 - 13 Aug 2022
Clubs & Associations
Obituary
Monica Leigh Boyd, age 53, of Santa Ana, California passed away on Saturday, August 13, 2022. Monica was born February 7, 1969.
She is survived by her wife Tuyet Ruoff and her parents Bob and Becky Boyd.
She grew up in Riverside, CA. and Orange County, CA. Due to her dad’s job, she also went to high school in England and Illinois. After high school, she went to college and took music classes, eventually obtaining an AA degree with music being her primary focus.
She loved teaching piano and voice lessons and began as youth choir director at Mount of Olives Church in Aliso Viejo. She later joined the Gay Choir in Long Beach and the San Diego Women’s Choir and reveled in the friendships she made among other singing enthusiasts.
She also loved traveling. She especially enjoyed gardens large and small. Some of her favorites were Monet’s garden in France, Butchart Gardens in Canada and was a member at Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar. Her friends and family spent many lovely hours visiting gardens with her.
It was important for her to be a part of her community and help others. She became a CASA mentor to children who needed a voice. She went door to door for her local politicians and worked at a polling place this year.
A personal message from Tuyet:
Monica lived life to the fullest and touched a lot of people during her short life span. She was never too shy to talk to someone in line at Disneyland or the grocery store, wherever she was. She always wanted to know who you were and would say “Do you want to be Facebook friends?”. I have been amazed by reading all the things people have said about Monica. It’s incredible how much she really was loved. In the last few days after Monica has passed I have come to realize why Facebook is so important. It’s like a time capsule. It’s the little moments of what they’ve done that day. Monica would always reach out as much as she could to see how they were doing, what they were up to, and mostly “When can I see you?”.
Monica and I met in 2000. We were penpals for a couple of years. Then I moved back to California in 2003. I think we started dating in 2004, had a beautiful commitment ceremony in 2005 and got married June 29, 2014.
I love Monica for many reasons. She was always working on just being a good human. She would give you the shirt off her back. If she could, she would help anybody who needed anything, anywhere. I’ve also came to realize how super strong she was, beating Leukemia and being in remission for 18 months. She smiled as she beat it and never showed that she was hurting, and that’s why she is my superhero. She always asked me, “why do you love me?”
I love you because you’re a plus size person who I fell in love with for the rest of your life. I love the dedication of being kind and generous to others. I love your beautiful smile and how you make people laugh. Your willingness to learn and grow as a person. You learn to listen and be kind and give good suggestions from your heart. I love your blue eyes and your Chewbacca hair in the mornings. It made me laugh when we were laughing together. I will always love you. And will always keep you in my heart. I’m happy you’re in heaven being free. And now you can fly anywhere you want to. I love you because you made the world a better place.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.pacificviewcalifornia.com for the Boyd family.[1]
Memorial Panel
Photos
At Swing Me in St. Louis, 2014
Obituary photo
