The Santa Clarita founding father and former mayor Carl Boyer III died Wednesday at the age of 81, according to his family.

Boyer was born in Philadelphia in 1937. He attended Nether Providence High School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania; Maryville College in Tennessee; The Edinburgh University in Scotland; Trinity University in Texas, where he achieved a B.A. in history; and the University of Cincinnati, where he pursued a Master’s Degree in secondary education.

Boyer and his wife, Chris, moved to Santa Clarita in the late 1960’s to raise their family, and immediately became concerned with the issues affecting their community.

After campaigning for years to have the Santa Clarita Valley declared its own county, Boyer eventually switched his focus to forming the City of Santa Clarita.

Out of the 25 candidates who ran in the first Santa Clarita City Council election, Boyer was one of five individuals elected to the first ever Santa Clarita City Council. He served for 11 years, retiring in 1998.

“Carl really cared for this city,” said Dennis Koontz, who served with Boyer on the first Santa Clarita City Council. “We all really put in work to form the city into what it is today.”

Santa Clarita’s first mayor and former Congressman Buck McKeon shared his memories of the very first Santa Clarita City Council meeting.

“Carl was an interesting guy. The night that we formed the City, … we had a big meeting at the gym of the college. The County Supervisor, Mike (Antonovich), came and handed over power, and that was the very first City Council meeting,” said McKeon. “The first thing Carl presented was that we have an ordinance to save the oak trees. He’d never discussed it with me before that, and with 3,000 people in the audience, it’s not like you’re going to say you don’t support the oak trees.”

McKeon first met Boyer while they were both running for the first City Council, and remained in contact through the years. Boyer was described as a likable man who “just liked people, and he liked government and liked working in it,” according to McKeon.

“He was a good family man, good Christian, good supporter of the community,” said McKeon. “He liked working with people and trying to improve their lives. He did a lot (of) good things and wanted to help other people. He was a joy to work with, and we’ll miss him. The community will miss him.”

In 1991, Boyer was elected as mayor of the City of Santa Clarita. City Councilmember Laurene Weste, then the City parks commissioner, remembered him fondly as someone who was dedicated to the improvement of the lives of everyone living in Santa Clarita.

“I asked him what he wanted me to do, and he told me to go out and realize our vision because we were on the same page,” said Weste. “We wanted to sustain and build a solid community, and we now have one of the best parks departments in the United States and one of the most extensive trail systems in the country.”

Under Boyer’s leadership, the city grew tremendously, developing many of the identifying aspects that Santa Clarita boasts today, including the extensive trail system.

“We might have been a totally different community had it not been for the city formation, and he worked so hard first (to) create our own county, and when that didn’t work, to create a city,” said Weste. “I was so blessed and honored to know him, and I miss him dearly.”

See Related: Santa Clarita Founding Father Carl Boyer Dies At 81

Boyer also served as a member of the board for the Santa Clarita Community College District from 1973 to 1981, and as a director of the former Castaic Lake Water Agency from 1982 to 1984.

Although he left the public sphere behind, Boyer’s influence was keenly felt by the next generation of council members.

“Carl Boyer, and the other original council members, will go down in history as the true pioneers of this great city.” said Councilmember Bob Kellar. “Carl worked so hard on the formation committee and then on the City Council to make sure everything was done right.”

“I remember so many occasions at various meetings and places where Carl was there sharing his wisdom; he was a very smart man. God bless Carl for all he did to benefit others,” Kellar said.

As the son of another city councilmember and mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem Cameron Smyth offered his own memories of Boyer.

“Beyond his service on the City Council, I think he will be most remembered for his commitment to bringing families from underserved countries, especially kids, for medical treatment in America,” said Smyth. “He had a heart of service. His whole career was giving back.”

According to Smyth, Boyer was “one of the first, if not the first, to begin discussing cityhood.”

“He was always at the tip of the spear on those issues,” Smyth added.

Current Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean similarly mentioned her belief in Boyer’s importance to the development of Santa Clarita.

“Carl was a vibrant part of our community. He cared deeply about our city and about maintaining local control,” said McLean.

McLean shared that the work of Boyer and his wife, Chris, in helping children internationally stuck with her the most. The Boyers worked with several organizations to offer medical care to children that would otherwise have not been available to them in their home countries, according to McLean.

“I really liked him and respected him. I think that he has left a legacy and he will be missed very much,” McLean said.

Boyer captured his historical memoirs in an extensive book called “Santa Clarita: The Formation and Organization of the Largest Newly Incorporated City in the History of Humankind,” written in 2005.

Santa Clarita regional representatives also responded to Boyer’s death, acknowledging the impact that he had on the Santa Clarita Valley over the past several decades.

“Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved neighbor, friend and founder of the City of Santa Clarita, Carl Boyer,” said Assemblywoman Christy Smith in a Facebook post Wednesday. “A true gentleman with a kind and generous heart and a commitment to service. What a loss to our community! My condolences to his friends and family for their loss.”

County Supervisor Kathryn Barger offered her own impressions of Boyer as a community leader and champion of Santa Clarita’s autonomy.

“Carl Boyer never saw a mountain that couldn’t be moved — his successful fight for local control for residents gave birth to one of our county’s great cities,” said Barger. “I will adjourn the Board of Supervisors in his memory on Tuesday and send my condolences to his daughters and grandchildren.”

In a 2018 interview with KHTS, Boyer talked of his hopes for the future of Santa Clarita, and how he would like to see the position of mayor develop to have its own separate election, as opposed to the council members deciding amongst themselves who would serve as mayor for the year.

Boyer is survived by his three daughters: Michèle, Denise and Danielle.

“Our father is the best man we’ve ever known,” the three women said in a joint statement released Wednesday afternoon. “He has been steadfast in all of his endeavors and has never wavered. His life goal was simple and profound: he wanted to be a useful member of society. There is no better role model than our father, Carl Boyer.”

Memorial services are in the planning stages for the weekend of June 22-23.

Ed. Note: The story has been updated to include a quote from County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

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