Wilbert (Bill) Boden, 86

Wilbert (Bill) Boden passed away on July 15, 2021, at the age of 86 in Hailey, Idaho, surrounded by his loving family. We will all miss this amazing man with his kind, loving, positive and funny personality.

Bill was born in Ohio to Helen and Harold Boden. He grew up in Hilliard, Ohio, on a small picturesque farm on the Scioto River where Bill helped take care of the sheep. He had a pet black sheep (maybe that is where he got his independence) that was actually allowed in the house! Bill often told stories of skating up and down the river in winter, climbing the local cliffs in knickers and galavanting (one of his favorite words, and there were many) on his motor bike.

Bill graduated from Hilliard High School in 1952 where he was a star athlete (track, basketball and co-captain of the football team). He was a very modest person so most of the stories of his early accomplishments came from his mother. She would laugh as she told how many touchdowns he scored, some at the cost of his broken ribs. Bill was an Eagle Scout and loved the outdoors. He had many adventures canoeing and camping as a young person and as a father. He and his family were dedicated members of the First Congregational Church on Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio. Bill joined the children’s choir at age 6 where he discovered his talent and love of singing. This stayed with him his whole life (singing at First Church until he was 73, as well as glee clubs and quartets, and then continued in Hailey, Idaho with the Caritas Chorale — after he and Alice moved to be closer to their children and grandchildren).

Bill attended Marietta College where he met and fell in love with Alice Whitehead. The story goes that Bill was quite the clown. He would try to get Alice’s attention with a leap into the air, landing horizontal on his side with his elbow on the ground and chin in his hand. No luck, she ignored him! In the end, they were a wonderful couple and have been married since 1957. Bill was influenced by Dr. Boynton Merrill (lead minister at First Church) and attended one year of Andover Newton Theological School in Boston. Bill had a strong faith his whole life.

Helping youth was Bill’s professional calling. He started as a youth director at the YMCA in Mansfield, Ohio. Bill was in the Air Force National Guard at this time and when it was activated was sent to France during the Berlin Crisis at the height of the Cold War. On his return he attended Ohio State University under the GI Bill and received a master's degree in guidance counseling. As a guidance counselor, at Bexley High School, he impacted countless students from the troubled to the most talented. This is where Bill’s loving, positive nature really shone. He truly cared about everyone and showed it by working tirelessly. He wrote hundreds of college entrance recommendations, each very thoughtful and personal, and did not hesitate to address needs such as drug and alcohol support programs. Bill wanted to make a difference and did. He retired in 1991.

Bill’s family was his highest priority and he took care of everyone. Looking back it is hard to see where he had time to do it all. Bill built a gymnastic gym in the attic and supported his daughter Lynne’s talent and interest. Taking his daughter to the gymnastics practices and high level competitions (being told “don’t say a word” when with her friends) and attending his son’s high school soccer games and announcing the home games, were all part of being Dad. Bill also helped his son build a pottery kick wheel in high school and supported his love of art. Bill liked to sketch and it turned out he was very good at it. This happened sometimes while he was soaking up a sermon and admiring the First Congregational Church during a church service. Over the years he sent hundreds of small, colorful notes to his grandchildren. These showcased his creative/humorous side with lots of colorful little figures dancing around the paper, pictures in place of words, and happy messages of love. One funny story happened when the Boden family had a “serious family meeting.” He and Alice asked their 8- and 10-year-old children what they would rather have, an in-ground swimming pool, or a garage? Guess what won, yes the pool! It was the magnet for all the kids’ friends and turned out to be the perfect way to keep an eye on them. Bill lived the power of positive thinking and passed that on to his family. He really was the perfect Dad!

Bill loved to joke around and was a mixture of Dick Van Dyke and Christopher Plummer. One moment he was using a pun as a joke, and the next he would burst into song! His grandchildren will always remember his crazy, quirky facial expressions and imaginative mouth noises when communicating with them.  He loved to ham it up on the piano, and could play by ear almost any style of music. His love of music, whether it was teaching the guitar, picking out songs on the piano, or listening to Baroque trumpet music, will always be remembered.

Other notable things Bill did outside his family, profession and church was building Alice and Bill’s retirement home with his friend, John Markstein, on a small organic farm outside Columbus. This made perfect sense because he and Alice were some of the founding members of the Bexley Natural Food Co-op in 1973. They donated years of volunteer work to make it successful. He and Alice were also avid cyclists and participated in the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure for 10 years. Each year a different section of Ohio would be explored by bike for a week. Bill loved everything about Ohio and this was the perfect way to see it. The last few tours Bill and Alice did on a tandem. Bill, with his high school teacher colleague, Pete Cooper, trained and ran the New York City Marathon. Bill always said it was an amazing way to see New York City. Bill and Alice made many friends and found time for them with church and community groups. He maintained these friendships for years from high school, college and adult life. One amazing trip for Alice and Bill was visiting their friends, Rolf and Barbel, in Germany in 2009. As a college student Rolf  was hosted by Bill’s family in 1952-1953. Bill and Alice were regular attendees of the 60-plus exercise class at the Blaine County Recreation District. He was always an active person. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Bill Boden, who he was, who he touched and the magnitude of his life.

His family and friends will miss him very much but are very fortunate to have had him in our lives. Bill Boden was the perfect gentleman, husband, father, grandfather and friend. We hope this small history of a life well lived, can help us all as we laugh, cry and remember Bill and live by his example.  

He is survived by wife, Alice; son, Tim (and daughter-in-law Janet); daughter, Lynne Lawrence (and son-in-law Craig); and three grandchildren, Brooke and Jorgen Lawrence and Farli Boden.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley (PO Box 4320, Ketchum, ID 83340), Caritas Chorale (PO Box 164, Ketchum, ID 83340), or 1st Congregational Church choir (444 E. Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215).

Bill was cremated at Demaray Funeral Service in Gooding, Idaho.