Gerhardt Boehm

Gerhardt (Gary) Walter Boehm, 87, of St. Joseph, passed away on April 28, 2011, surrounded by his loving family. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 11:00 A.M. Thursday, May 5, 2011 at First Baptist Church, 902 Broad St., in St. Joseph with Pastor Marlo Fritzke officiating. Burial will follow at Ruggles Cemetery in Baroda. Friends may visit from 5:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church in St. Joseph. Those wishing to share a memory may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Gary was born on October 30, 1923, in St. Joseph, Michigan to Herman and Marie Boehm. He was a graduate of St. Joseph High School and Whirlpool Tech School. Gary was a veteran of WWII having served in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the U.S. Coast Guard aboard the USS General C.H. Muir. Upon returning to St. Joe, he worked as a lifeguard at Lions Park Beach, and held managerial positions for several of the prominent construction companies in the area, having built many of the local commercial and residential developments. Gary was an excellent carpenter and woodworker, and began a business of remodeling private homes in the area, including completely renovating two farmhouses of his own. He was a creator, inventor, and an avid fisherman. Gary was in the process of building a boat, which will now be completed by his grandsons. He had a secret for growing beautiful hydrangeas, and cultivated plants that descended from ones his father had grown. Gary loved the Lord and was a long time member of First Baptist Church of St. Joseph, serving as a deacon, a trustee and a member of the choir. Gary is survived by his wife of 45 years, Dorothea, son Dennis Boehm and wife Deedra, daughter Jean Cortes and husband Craig, grandsons Jay Cortes, Blake Boehm, Kyle Boehm and wife Dana, Alex Boehm, three great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and sister in law Marian Boehm. He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Catherine Holton, son Gary Michael Boehm, grandson Dustin Boehm, brother Herbert Boehm, sisters Rose Sitar, Clara Dyer, and Violet Sheeley.