Born less than a decade after the Wright brothers completed their first machine-powered flight, she is celebrating her 95th birthday by jumping some 14,000-feet from an airplane.
As long as she gets a doctor's clearance, Boyd will take the plunge Saturday.
She acknowledges fear of the jump as if she were discussing feeling apprehensive to flip a pancake that may not be cooked on one side yet.
"You are scared of something when you don't know what's going to happen," she said, without revealing a hint of emotion. "You are scared of a lot of things."
She will be jumping tandem, strapped to an instructor, at the Byron Airport this weekend.
A mother of three, Boyd worked in a Pittsburg tin mill for three decades. She first traveled by airplane when she was in her 40s.
In the last five or so years, she has tried doing something new each year for her birthday. One year, she took a spin on the back of a motorcycle. She went on a hot air balloon ride, but was disappointed that it didn't rise higher.
Born in Oklahoma, Boyd moved to Antioch in 1935. Boyd has lived in the same spot on Texas Street for 58 years.
Margaret Dossey moved in with her mom five years ago. Her daughter, Janet Dossey, 53, also lives there. They eat a home-cooked lunch most days.
Boyd likes to prepare different foods from recipes in magazines. Enchiladas are a favorite.
"We are fortunate to be this close to her at this point when she needs us and we need her," Margaret Dossey said.
Boyd builds the fires for the family. Her neighbors and relatives bring her wood when they remodel or cut down a tree.
Margaret Dossey got married and moved to Southern California when she was 18, so she has come to really know her mom only recently.
Dossey and her mother watch cop and detective shows such as "Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)" and "Law & Order" together from 9 to 11 p.m. nearly every night.
"Being back with her has certainly been an education. It's been good for both of us," Dossey said. "I have finally gotten to know her. I left when I was too young to care."
