William Boden

On Monday, August 23, 2021, William David Boden, loving husband and father died peacefully at his home after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Bill was born on January 24, 1941 in Jersey City, NJ to John and Alice Boden.  As a boy, he was very active with his father and brother at Trinity Church in NYC.  Bill graduated Chatham High School (NJ) in 1958 and set-off for Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.  His first few years at Purdue were adventuresome and it wasn’t entirely clear if he would return although he would be a life-long member of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE).

Bill’s mother Alice told him to go back to Purdue and said “don’t bother coming home” if they don’t let you stay.  That ultimatum was in 1961 and somehow the powers that be let him stay in school – albeit on probation.  Good thing, because he soon met Dana on a blind date and it was all straight A’s and fireworks after that.  Bill drove a campus bus to pay the bills and eventually became a double graduate of Purdue with his Masters in 1963.

He married Dana Spencer in 1962 while in graduate school and they raised 3 children – David, Katherine, and Richard.

Bill’s first job was as a labor negotiator with Commercial Solvents in Terre Haute, IN.  David and Kathy were both born there, but not until after Bill and Dana got their first English Bulldog – Friar Tuck.  Despite Tucky’s protests, Bill was transferred to Monroe, LA and a few years later Rick joined the family.   Eventually they all moved back to Terre Haute – but not for long.

The next stop was in 1975 in Silver Spring, MD where Bill joined the human resources department at Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO), eventually becoming the head of HR.  By this time he had a new Bulldog – Chaucer.  Every weekend the whole family got in the Vista Cruiser station wagon and visited some historic site, museum or other educational destination in Washington, DC. The pandas at the National Zoo probably knew the Bodens better than they knew their caregivers -- as every Boden visitor wanted to make the trip to the National Zoo.

In 1977 the family moved north to Lutherville, MD, a suburb of Baltimore.  Bill took over human resources at Carling National Breweries.  When Carling was sold in late 1979, Bill joined The Rouse Company in Columbia, MD -- making the daily commute so the family could stay in Lutherville.  He worked there until retiring in 1999.

Bill’s kids consider the home in Lutherville the place where they grew up.  It was a 150-year-old Victorian house with an acre of land.  There was no air conditioning and no riding mower – at least until the kids moved out.  Bill was a loving and involved father.  He was a Boy Scout leader, a soccer-softball-baseball- basketball coach, he raised money for the schools and charity.  Meanwhile he managed to get to know nearly every friend his kids ever had.  Bill made sure that the family got to know the local teams with frequent trips to cheer on the Orioles.  Of course when the O’s were in the World Series in 1979, Bill took Dana to game 7 and forever alienated his oldest son David.

As empty-nesters, Bill and Dana built a beautiful house in Cockeysville, MD and lived there for several years before moving in 2008 to warmer weather and six golf courses at The Landings in Savannah, GA.  As they were at every place they lived, Bill and Dana were active in the Church and Community and made many lifelong friends.  Although technically they still lived in Savannah, they spent the majority of 2013 and 2014 in Bainbridge Island, WA while their youngest son Rick battled cancer.  In 2018 Bill and Dana moved to Denver.

Bill was always the planner of family trips.  There was the infamous RV trip to Canada and New England, the annual beach trips to Pawley’s Island, SC., the tour of England, rafting through the Grand Canyon, sailing in the Virgin Islands, and exploring the Galapagos on his 60th birthday.  In addition, Bill and Dana took 2 long trips around the US – the first with a pop-up camper, and the 2nd with an RV.  Each trip was over a month long and included visits with friends, relatives, and of course family.  The last major road trip was Bill with his son David, grandson Carson, and his latest and greatest bulldog – Watson.  They drove the mini-van from Savannah to Denver and stopped at every BBQ joint on the way.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents John and Alice and tragically by his youngest child Richard.  He is survived by his wife Dana and children David Boden, Katherine Boden Holland and daughter-in-law Jennifer Boden along with 7 grandchildren - Carson, Cade, and Devin Boden, Allison and Anna Boden, and Elsie and William Holland.  He is also survived by his brother John Boden, John’s wife Carol, and several nieces and nephews.

A service is scheduled for April 2, 2022 in Lutherville, MD.  Details are forthcoming.

Memorial gifts are suggested at Melanoma Research Alliance (www.curemelanoma.org) and Rocky Mountain Parkinson’s Society (www.parkinsonrockies.org).