Family of Jay Boughton Honors Memory with Billboard

It was two years ago this week that local youth baseball coach, Jay Boughton, was shot and killed while driving on Highway 169 in Plymouth.

Family members wanted to do something special to honor his life.

A billboard went up on Thursday along Highway 169, just south of Bass Lake Road.

The billboard shows Boughton dressed in his baseball uniform looking out toward a field. Along with the photo, there’s a message that says: “Stay in the light: In Memory of Jay Boughton, 7/6/2021.'”

The billboard honoring Jay Boughton was put up along Highway 169 in Plymouth, just south of Bass Lake Road.

Plymouth Police Chief Erik Fadden, whose agency played a crucial role in helping to find Boughton’s killer, said the billboard was a great tribute that also conjured up some emotional memories.

“Candidly, it was a little tearjerking for me,” Fadden said. “Just remembering everything that [they] went through, and just remembering at the end of the day that it doesn’t matter what had happened between July 6 of 2021 and now; nothing will bring Jay back.”

The billboard was only visible on July 6, which was the two-year anniversary of his death.

Boughton’s killer, Jamal Smith, was sentenced to life in prison last October.

Related: Jay Boughton Family After Verdict: ‘This family has stayed in the light.’

Plymouth