Joseph "Harry" Boyer

Joseph “Harry” Boyer, 82, of Johnson City, NY passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving children and spouses on January 30, 2018 following a long illness.

Harry was predeceased by his wife of 53 years Nancy Boyer (2009), daughter Kathleen George, parents Harry & Irene Boyer, sister Evelyn Willis, and brother Robert Boyer.

Harry is survived by son Dr. Joseph Boyer and wife Betty, daughter Mary Reno and husband Jamie, son James Boyer, and by Harrison Boyer and wife Jill. He is survived by brother Jim Boyer and wife Ann, brother Thomas Boyer, brother John Boyer and wife Leah, and cousin Betty Ann Borek. He is survived by grandchildren Joseph Boyer, John Boyer & wife Delaney, Sean Reno, Christopher Reno, Thomas George, Jessica Spinner and husband Matthew,  Jason Boyer,  Mary George, Marissa Hudson & husband Noah, Mary Lynn Bethea, Nancy Boyer, Jenny Boyer, Hannah Boyer, James Boyer, and Josh Boyer.  He is survived by three great grandchildren Mikaela Bethea and Sienna and Maisey Hudson. He is survived by his dear friend John Doraski.

Born in Scranton, PA, Harry grew up on North Washington Avenue, around the corner from beloved “family treasure” Nicholas Pizza. Harry was a 1953 Graduate of Saint Paul Catholic High School where he enjoyed playing basketball and baseball, and was a key player on St. Paul’s many successful athletic teams. Upon graduation, Harry married his wife Nancy and later relocated to New York State where he began his career working in Aerospace Technology for Republic Aviation on Long Island. He went on to complete his BS Degree in Applied Physics from Hofstra University in 1961. He then went on to work as a Tactics and Visual Systems Engineer for Aircraft and Spacecraft Flight Simulation for Singer-Link in Kirkwood, NY.

An entrepreneur at heart, Harry founded Innovation Associates based in Johnson City in 1972, as a research and development engineering, technical services, and manufacturing firm for such distinguished customers as IBM, GE, Universal, and many others. Through vision and determination, Harry piloted Innovation to become an industry leading pharmacy automation provider. At the helm of Innovation, he earned such notable achievements as the New York State Small Business Person of the Year and the Broome County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year awards, both in 2004. He also developed a strategic partnership with Binghamton University over the years, working with their Watson Institute of Systems Excellence (WISE) on numerous technological initiatives. His work with the university was acknowledged in 2011 when he was awarded the Binghamton University Technical Innovator of the Year award.

Harry was a member of the New York State Jaycees and the Knights of Columbus in Johnson City. He was also a long-time member and philanthropic contributor to the St. James Catholic Church in Johnson City.

We would like to offer a special thank you to the extraordinary home care staff at Deyo Hill over the past several years, and especially to his daughter Mary, and brother John, who were his guardian angels. Harry loved his family, his faith, his community, his co-workers, his many friends, and the Syracuse Orangemen and New York Yankees. May he rest in eternal peace.

The family will receive friends at J.F. Rice Funeral Home, 150 Main Street, Johnson City, NY on February 2, from 3-6PM. The Funeral Mass Service will be held at St James Catholic Church, 147 Main Street, Johnson City, NY on February 3, at 10AM, and will be followed by the interment at Calvary Cemetery in Johnson City. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association, 441 W. Kirkpatrick Street, Syracuse, NY 13204. (315) 472-4201 www.alz.org.

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