Dr. Thomas Charles Boyd died peacefully December 26, 2025, at Southeast Iowa Hospice House. Tom was born November 10, 1952, to Paul and Mary (Nortmann) Boyd in Iowa City. He spent his formative years in Iowa City, the second youngest in a tight-knit family, showing ponies with his seven siblings as a child and graduating from Regina High School in 1970. Tom was one of the longest living kidney transplant recipients in the world, having received a kidney at age 16 from his sister Marg when organ transplants were a new frontier.
After graduating from the University of Iowa, Tom worked as an audiologist in public schools, where he met his future wife, Carole Gilliland (and a cohort of lifelong besties). On September 1, 1979, Tom and Carole were married in Flora, Ill. At the ripe old age of 28, he went back to medical school at Des Moines University and graduated in 1987 before taking a job at Burlington Area Family Practice. There, he worked almost 30 years, caring for countless patients at every age and stage of their lives. Tom was especially thankful for his colleagues and his patients-turned-friends who entrusted him with their care and taught him as much as his medical education and residency did.
Tom was a family man through and through. Tom and Carole’s proudest accomplishments were their four kids: Andy, Maggie, Carrie, and Tim. Tom was a devoted husband, dad, father-in-law, and papa. He loved snuggling his grandkids, snacking, public libraries, the beach, Jeopardy!, cheering on the Hawkeyes, traveling, crossword puzzles, lounging by (and obsessively cleaning) the pool, studying maps, and napping while holding an open book. Tom had a debilitating case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out); being with family and friends was his favorite place to be.
Tom wore his heart on his sleeve. He was sweet, soft-spoken, kind, loyal, hardworking, squirrelly, unruffled, and cartoonishly clumsy. He was the ultimate hypeman and his skills as a baby whisperer were unmatched. His family will miss his optimism, humor, generosity, navigational skills, killer dance moves, and seeing him on the beach in Kiawah, South Carolina.
Tom is survived by his wife Carole of Burlington; his children, Andy (Emily Ussery) of Atlanta, Maggie (Mark Mannion) of Kansas City, MO, Carrie (Aaron Vanderhoff) of Des Moines, and Tim (Hanna) of La Grange Park, IL; his beloved grandkids (Sylvie, Theo, Rowan, Cooper, and Kellan); his siblings Marg (Dick) McNamara and Bill (Sheila) Boyd; his in-laws Sally Boyd, Marilyn Boyd, Linda Boyd, Dick Jensen, Jon (Debbie) Gilliland, and Joe (Jane) Gilliland; and numerous nieces and nephews. Tom is preceded in death by his parents, his siblings Mary Ellen Jensen, Mike, Pat, Jerry, Debbie Jensen, and his brother-in-law Jim Jensen.
The family would like to thank the many, many doctors, nurses, medical professionals, and blood donors who were a part of Tom’s legendary run. He was particularly grateful to the outstanding staff of Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, including Southeastern Renal Dialysis and Southeast Iowa Hospice, for their excellent care.
Visitation will be from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM Friday, January 9, 2026 at Prugh Funeral Service, 3940 Division Street.
A celebration of life for Dr. Boyd will be 11:00 AM Saturday, January 10, 2026, at First Congregational Church, 313 N. 4th Street, where Tom was a proud member and served on the trustee board.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the National Kidney Foundation, the Burlington Public Library, the Food Bank of Iowa, or become a blood donor.