Graveside service have been scheduled for 2:00pm, Monday, August 6, 2018 in Northfield Cemetery in Northfield, Texas with R.B. Mathis officiating and assisted by Steve Ross.  Visitation will be held at Johnson Funeral Home from 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Sunday, August 5, 2018.   David Jay Boykin passed away from this Earth on August 3, 2018, in Cheyenne, Oklahoma.  He was born August 18, 1954, to W.J. and Margaret Boykin in Olton, Texas.  He was born into a farming family but always had the heart of a rancher.  As a young boy, his family moved from Olton to a farm in Tell for several years before finally settling down on the family’s ranch in Northfield.  He knew when he first set eyes on the beautiful land that he wanted to make his life there.  He graduated from Motley County High School, but he spent his summers and free time working on ranches and breaking colts.  After graduation, he attended the Farming and Ranching Program at Clarendon College.  He met the love of his life, Missy, there.  They wed soon after their meeting, and they spent the next 44 years loving each other.  Together, they had two daughters, Kara and Jodi.  He loved that they shared his love for horses and cattle, and couldn’t wait to haul them to their next barrel race or jackpot.  He was always proud of their accomplishments, no matter how small.  He was even more proud of his four grandchildren. His first two granddaughters, Sydney and Sealey, loved the sport of rodeo as much as he did.  He could be seen across many states in his bright red Peterbuilt truck pulling his travel trailer supporting them both at wherever rodeo they were entered in.  As he pulled onto rodeo grounds, you could hear people saying, “Daddy Dave and Bebe are here…I wonder what they have to eat!”  He was in many rodeo stands, alleyways, and roping boxes cheering on his girls, and like a true “Daddy Dave” was very emotional at their victories and losses.  He may have been caught with tears flowing down his cheeks as they caught their first calves and won their first buckles.  He was just as proud of his only grandson, Kyler.  He kept Kyler most days before Kyler’s school year instead of sending him to daycare.  He insisted that Kyler could learn more with him and was proud of the life lessons he instilled in him, however questionable his mother and grandmother considered the lessons.  David always loved attending Kyler’s basketball games, and always talked about how he wished his own dad was there to watch Kyler play as well.  He always called Kyler his “pardner”, and they truly shard an inseparable bond.  Last to his clan was his granddaughter, Jentry, that he lovingly referred to as his little “Popsqually”.  We had never heart of the term or what it meant, but from the first day she was born, he could be found quietly cuddling her in a corner.  He knew she was his last princess, so he spoiled her rotten. Even at the end, she could out a twinkle in his eye and smile on his face when no one else could.  His legacy is with his family and grandchildren whom he loved so dearly. After retiring and moving from the ranch, David and Missy moved to Vernon.  There he made a slew of friends that he loved harassing and playing dominoes with.  He also spent a great deal of time traveling to different lakes fishing.  They spent their summers in Ruidoso, NM, where he made many more lifelong friends and could be seen at Ruidoso Downs every day the track was open.  David knew how to do retirement the right way!  After becoming ill, he and Missy moved to Cheyenne, Oklahoma to be closer to family.  He attended church at Strong City Baptist, and he spent his final days surrounded by those who loved him the most. He is survived by his wife, Missy Boykin: his two daughters, Kara Bottom and Jodi Yoakum: and their spouses, Brad Bottom and Will Yoakum, that he loved like sons.  He is also survived by his four grandchildren; Sydney Bottom, Sealey Bottom, Kyler Hickman, and Jentry Yoakum his loving sister, Brenda Brown and husband Tommy, many special nieces and nephews; and many other family members and friends that he considered family.  He was preceded in death by his parents, W.J. and Margaret Boykin. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Northfield Cemetery Fund, c/o Betty Simpson, 1712 FM 94, Northfield, TX, 79201.