Remembering Bill Boumeester – February 3rd, 2018
I’m not sure how I will be able to do a short story about one man’s JOURNEY of life which was many, many chapters long, and after today each and every one of us is going to be starting a new chapter of our lives. This is a slight continuation from the Football game he has been playing on the back of the celebration of life handout.
We are all gathered here today to Celebrate the wonderful and fulfilled life of Bill Boumeester. WILD BILL! He was a father, grandpa, uncle, son, brother, friend, and tougher than boiled owl SH!T… But most importantly he was the best friend, and husband of almost 62 years to his beloved wife, Jeanne!
Yes, 61 solid years of marriage with the ups and downs in the joys of commitment… How did they do it? Simply Love! Every night before bed Grandma would say “Love you, Dad” and he was quick to reply with, “Love you too Babe”, Or the occasional, “Love you too Dolly” – Even right up til’ the end she got a couple kisses, and Love ya too!
A little life re-cap by date: Born on June 10th, 1936, Married on June 23, 1956, Started Boumeester & Sons in 1983, Retired in 1999, And on January 25th, 2018, he threw in the towel on the Vikings game, the checkered flag on his racing days, and hung up his last birdhouse!
Then there is his workshop, or was it his smokeshop? Putzing (noun): Granpa Bill. There was never a time that you could just stop by and say Hi. He was a man who was so proud of what he was working on and making and shared it with everyone that stopped by to visit. With a pack of Cigarettes, a can of Diet Mountain Dew, and eventually a bird house, suet feeder, and plenty of memories would be made. Bill was always working on something, and never wasted a thing… That birdhouse hole, could be a wheel on a wooden car, the perch to a birdhouse, or the accessory to the top of a birdfeeder.
Dogs, Dogs, Dogs… Gunner, Mun Mun, Loubie, Jackie, Jackie Jr(JJ) to name a few. And Billy, The dog he revived. If you asked why he named his dog Billy, he’d give you a laugh and explain that “Well, when I get old, I won’t forget my name because it’s the name of my dog”
Not a day went by that he wasn’t keeping busy, doing odds and ends jobs and working on something. From racecars, trapping, hunting, woodworking, remodeling, driving around on the bobcat and working the bulldozer. In his own words: “I was always working, growing up we hardly had a pot to piss in.” He made a life for himself, his wife, and his children.
Later in life he experienced a few “time outs” – One of which being Dialysis, Which he referred to as “work”. Work was every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, up and out of bed, many times over there by 4 am, for his 5 o’clock start time. Just enough time to have a few smokes by himself or with the laides. Many times he would walk in weak and acting like he was going to fall down, only to get the girls attention. Nikki, Brenda, and Stephy, the ladies who gave us many years of the presents of his presence.
Oh, the Greetings he had for each and everyone. ‘How you doing today Babe’ – ‘How’s the Chicken Business today Kid?’ – ‘Hey, ya old fart’ which he said to many of his friends and relatives… And every now and then, you might have gotten a ‘hello’, one finger shy of the peace sign!
Over the last 13 days while enduring a wonderful and comforting stay at Regions Hospital he was quite busy in his mind, not skipping a beat. Building tresses for a new building, applying for a job for the convention, making ‘doodads’, and buying trucks, one of which we talked about sitting at the end of the road, being a Red 2015 with 35,000 miles for $12/5… and he’d say “Buy it”.
Or asking where Grandma was… “She’s at Aldi’s shopping, because it’s senior day” – He’d reply, “AGAIN” and shake his head.
He was loved by all the nurses and is loved by all of his family, always making sure everyone got a wink!
After this gathering of Friends and Family, we hope everyone has a story to tell. Make him proud. There isn’t a story that would surprise anyone he knew and cherished. Let’s make him shake his head and say:
-Ya lil brat, Ash!
-Susan, why did you do that?
-Nate, Where’s that colored girl I told you to bring home from Mexico?
-The quick witt and responses were endless and you never knew what you were going to hear.
On behalf of GRANPA BILL, I would personally like to send a big thank you out to Uncle Don for being the one that took the Reins of his sleigh in this snow storm and guided him peacefully to his new home we call heaven! Then there is this one, my cousin Ashley, who stood by my side through all of this, talking about the right decisions of what Grandpa would want. And most of all my Grandma who, as grandpa said to me, is ‘looking pretty good because of that soup’ and also, one of the strongest women I have ever known. I don’t know what soup you’re eating, but keep eating it!
Under this Yellow Towel, Draped over your Casket, Just for you Grandpa, We have given you some final Red Paint, sending you out, just the way you would have wanted, with a joke and a laugh! So as he would say… ‘They always say pray for Russ…’ Today we are going to pray for Bill!
Here you have not passed away, but passed on to another life, We’re not saying goodbye, but ‘Happy trails to you, Until we meet again…’
LOVE,
Your lil’ brat and ‘the kid’!