Irvin Joseph Boyer, Sr.

Irvin Joseph Boyer, Sr. passed away on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the age of 89.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Friday, June 12, 2026, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, with Father Sam Fontana serving as Celebrant. Interment will follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Eunice.

Visitation will be held at Quirk & Son Funeral Home on Thursday, June 11, 2026, from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM. A Rosary will be prayed at 6:00 PM by Father Sam Fontana. Visitation will resume on Friday at 8:00 AM and continue until departure for the funeral mass.

Command Sergeant Major Irvin Boyer began his career with the Guard on May 2, 1953, with Company F of the 156 Infantry in Breaux Bridge, La. He was a graduate of Breaux Bridge High School, and also a January 1956 graduate of Spencer Business College on Lafayette.

Irvin, Sr. has been a Eunice resident since May of 1956 and is the first National Guard representative from Eunice ever to gain the coveted rank of Command Sergeant Major. The E-9 rank is rare. He worked directly under the battalion commander and served as the trouble shooter for the commander.

There is no doubt that if he had to do it over, he would choose the military again. He was assigned full time to Eunice in May of 1956. Boyer has served over the years under 21 different commanders and six adjutant generals.

He began with an infantry unit, transferred to a tank unit and then to a transportation company with the emphasis on armed personnel carriers. Later the transportation company changed the emphasis to trucks, and then his unit was switched to infantry and then, finally, to the mechanized unit which exists now. 

During 34 years he rose through the ranks from E-1 to his final E-9 status. He prepared for his final status during 19 years of service as an E-8, or First Sergeant. During that time, he was looked upon as the best first sergeant in the brigade.

Col. John R. Pizzolatto became the battalion commander on September 16, 1986, and he needed a command sergeant major for his battalion. Several sergeant majors and first sergeants in the state applied for the position, and Boyer, who was First Sergeant at the time, was chosen to do the job.

As Command Sergeant Major of a battalion, Boyer was responsible for six units, which includes approximately 923 soldiers. Command Sergeant Major represents the battalion commander on a day-to-day basis and supervised administration and training. Battalion headquarters was located in Abbeville with units in Ville Platte, Breaux Bridge, New Iberia, Franklin, Houma and Thibodeaux. 

He also served as an instructor at Louisiana Military Academy at Camp Beauregard in Alexandria. The most notable changes he saw during his years in the guard were the fact that no one can join the National Guard without a high school education. He liked the service and discipline that went along with it, as well as the reward he got seeing people he trained doing a great job in different units.

In 1986, Boyer spent 21 days in the Mojave Desert at Fort Irwin, located in California. The training there involved people with soviet equipment, which was "the closest to the real thing, other than being in combat", and that training was outstanding.

During the Gulf War, he was called to active duty from November 1990 to April 1991 and was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. They were rail loading equipment to California to deploy then the Gulf War ended.

Since his retirement in 1991, Boyer was an avid gardener and enjoyed reading, watching sports on TV and enjoyed visiting with his children and grandchildren.

Irvin Boyer, Sr. is survived by his loving wife, Sylvia Martel Boyer; two sons, Irvin Boyer, Jr. and his wife, Cynthia, of Breaux Bridge, La, where Irvin, Jr. enjoys retirement, and Kenneth Boyer and his wife, Sandra “Kay,” of Breaux Bridge, La, where Kenneth is employed by Schulte Building Systems; and one daughter, Karen Boyer of Eunice, La, a retired Certified Nursing Assistant. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Emily Boyer and her fiancé, Cody; Kathleen Boyer; Kaitlynn Boyer and Devin Credeur; Josh Stuart and his wife, Sarah; and Jeremy Stuart and his wife, Raelyn; and eight great-grandchildren, Ezra Stuart, Judah Stuart, Cassidy Stuart, Deliah Stuart, Ona Bee Stuart, Waylon Boyer, Cruz Borel, and John Wayne Credeur.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alcee Boyer and Emma Courville Boyer; three brothers, Clifford Boyer, Hilton Boyer, Alton Boyer; two sisters, Mary Lou Boyer and Lou Ann Sanders.

Irvin will be remembered for his kindness, unwavering devotion to his family, and the love he shared with all who knew him. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, hard work, and cherished memories that will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. While his presence will be deeply missed, those who loved him find comfort in knowing that his spirit will continue to inspire future generations.