Birth date: Jul 20, 1944 Death date: Jan 1, 2015
BOYNTON, Harry James “Jim” a disciple of Christ Jesus and member of NDBC, passed away on January 1, 2015. He will be missed by his wife, Sara, Aunt Ruth Swanson, Aunt Maida Thompson, step-children Sherry Goldsmith, Neil Hamlett an Read Obituary
Jim was such a good guy. I remember volunteering with him at the Food Bank. He was a knowledgeable & devoted person, who really seemed to give what he had to help so many others. Rest in Peace Jim. My thoughts & prayers are with his family.
Barbara T., Clearwater, FL
My memory of Jim goes back to the day I was hired at Easter Seal Society. We worked there together on many projects. Jim and I were sent to the basement to work when a manager came in and decided he didn't want us to share his office. So, we moved in and decided the wall needed a window and from there it became the little snack bar where we made chile and hot dogs and sold them from there (while we worked of course). Prior to that we took out office up to the "Widows Walk" on top of the old mansion where we worked. I believe (for these things) we were always "in trouble".Jim and I were always on opposite sides politically and the Executive of Easter Seal Society decided it was best if we took turns going to the political events rather then cancel each other out each time we attended one. From our first meeting, Jim was a part of the "Daniel" family often spending all his weekends at the "Shack" (our summer and week end home in NJ. I was so happy to reconnect with Jim on Facebook. Jim will "always" be part of our family history as we shared so much of it together. R.I.P. James Boynton! Sami Buisson-Daniel
Tonight I just want to share some fond memories of a guy I loved as a friend who also was like a brother. We first met shortly after my wife Donna had passed into Gods hands some months earlier. We both were members of Dunedin's First United Methodist Church and about the time of Donna's death, there was a movement by some of the members of the church to form a singles group. There was a committee formed that consisted of Mary Garrison, Melba Rilott, myself, another guy whose name slips my feeble mind and of course Jim. The group came to be known as 'The Upper Pinellas Singles' and was designed for those whom were widowed, divorced or single by choice. Through this group Jim and I became good friends. Also through this group Jim came to notice a wonderful woman by the name of Sara. For all of us the singles group became something of a family. We shared, we loved, we spent holidays together and a lot more. The Upper Pinellas Singles (UPS) gave us all something that was special. It was a Christian group and Jim played a vital part as did Sara. I happened to serve two terms as the groups chairperson and in between, Jim served one. As a result we had many great times to remember. We conducted weekly meetings where we had dinners. One of our favorites was an idea where Jim suggested that we have a 'Wok-an-Roll' party. There was every combination of so-called Chinese food and at the end, with the leftovers, he combined everything for a very forgettable concoction. Another time...we would have a weekly chapel time to conclude our meetings. Once a month we'd celebrate communion. Usually the preacher or associate would serve however one time they were not available. So without access to bread and wine, through Jim, communion consisted of Oreo cookies and milk. Needless to say that was one service no one ever forgot. Later, Jim and Sara were joined together in marriage. Our family of singles were on hand to see the marriage consummated and I was asked to be their best man. Today, that would be hard to prove as he lost the marriage certificate so someone else was the witness. But, there were the other singles there to verify it was true. Jim and Sara were so much a part of our group that they remained with us socially for a long time. Eventually, many of the single began to go their separate ways, however a few remained good friends, even to this day. Jimmis as I called him and Sara have remained my friends right up to his passing. I have lived in Greensboro, North Carolina for the past thirteen or so years and would make it a point to see the Boynton's whenever I was in the Tampa Bay area. When I learned of Jim's illness I was devastated. Why, would be the question. Here was a guy and his wife dedicated to working as volunteers at the church, the singles group and a church down the road in Clearwater that served the homeless. He was a computer geek and taught computerism (my word) and was good and patient with his students. He and Sara shared their love for florals and were involved in floral societies even as officers. At Christmas, it was always a treat to receive their Christmas cards as he had a love for art, did some paintings and designed his own Christmas cards with wonderful messages from the both of them. Being a stamp collector Jim would also put stamps from other periods of time to really show off his caring personality. One time I received a card where the envelop was nearly covered with old postage stamps...so many that they could not all be cancelled by Uncle Sam. The one final gesture of his and Sara's kindness was a check. Jimis gave me a check to help me with a passion and what I feel is my purpose in life. I have been to a number of countries and in America on Christian mission trips, building homes, planting gardens etc, etc. This past November, 2014 Jim and Sara gave me a check to help me go to the Mayan countryside of Guatemala. He said to take it; use it as if he were going because he would never get to go again.
I grew up with Jim in my life and he was a formative part of my childhood. A photographer, he documented a lot of my younger years. He seemed to have a knack for speaking to kids in a way that made them - me! - feel as if they mattered, as if what they had to say was not only important, but brilliant. I have so many memories of Jim but I would say my favorite is when I was five years old and we were at the Shack. Jim was sleeping in the front room and in the early morning I crawled up on the bed and kept lifting his eyelids and asking, "Are you in there?" Are you in there?" As he always did, he humored me, pretending to be asleep, as I continued to badger him. Perhaps my next favorite thing Jim ever did was to write the hysterical letter on behalf of the "Junior League" disinviting my son and family from Cotillion. You were a great man, a wonderful father figure, a good friend and an all around beautiful soul, Jim. Rest in Peace. Love, Pogie
I knew Jim when I was a child, through the Daniels and 5940. My favorite memory was when he gave me his "Harry" in return for "Hinckley" (my middle name) when I was about 7 or 8. I was so happy to reconnect with him on Facebook as an adult after all these decades. He is part of so many treasured childhood memories, and has captured many of those with his photographs.
