Robert Franklin Boggus

Robert Franklin Boggus was born on February 9, 1927 in Medford, Oregon, the only child of Benjamin and Marie Boggus. Ben supported his family during the Great Depression by, among other jobs, helping to build two great bridges along California Highway 1. As a boy, Bob enjoyed watching westerns and loved being outdoors. He had fond memories of being taught to fish and hunt.

At Grass Valley High School, Bob made a friend for life in Norman Thompson and enjoyed playing several sports and working on the yearbook where he noticed another senior, a transfer student from Washington, D.C. named Peggy Albright.

After graduating in 1944, Bob worked for the Forest Service, then enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. He trained as a gunner and was sent to the Philippines. When the war ended, he was urged to take the exam to enter the Coast Guard Academy and passed the test. But he hadn't forgotten Peggy Albright, who had been studying nursing at Indiana University. Instead, he decided to study civil engineering at Purdue University. He got a warm welcome from Peggy and her relatives. Bob and Peggy were married on June 19, 1948. Bob graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from Purdue on August 20, 1950. Two weeks later, their first child, Nancy, was born, Bob took a job with Kimberly-Clark. They lived in Appleton, Wisconsin and Memphis, Tennessee (where Deborah was born in 1952) and Fernandina Beach, Florida (where Patricia was born in 1954).

Bob and Peggy decided to move back to California in 1955. Bob took a job with North American Aviation and worked on nuclear energy projects for 11 years. They bought a house in Woodland Hills and helped to start a Presbyterian church in Canoga Park. Two more children were born, Rebecca in 1958 and Karen in 1960. Bob and Peggy made home improvements and many new friends. Bob also found time to climb Mount Whitney.

Service to others was always important to them, whether it was helping other churches to build Head Start programs, opening their new backyard swimming pool to kids from other neighborhoods, or taking high school students from their church on working trips to the Navajo reservation in Arizona. But Bob always found time for camping, fishing and hunting.

As a special treat, Bob planned and supervised a wonderful four week trip which covered most of Europe for the whole family in 1969.

In the early 1970s, Bob earned an MBA at UCLA and Bob, Peggy, Becky and Karen moved to the Bay Area. Bob worked for a management consulting firm (running their Berkeley office) and for the Environmental Protection Agency.

In 1977, rather than move to Chicago, Bob changed jobs. They moved to Placerville, where he spent the rest of his life. He took a job in the engineering department of the El Dorado Irrigation District. They found a church home. They helped kids at Juvenile Hall and built houses in many locations with Habitat for Humanity. Their daughters all married and Bob and Peggy loved visiting their children and grandchildren and seeing the world. Bob continued as a consultant with EID even after retirement.

Bob took up bicycle touring in 1983 and logged thousands of miles as he rode all over the United States.

As Peggy's health failed, Bob gave himself to her care with complete devotion. It left a huge void when she passed away in April of 2011, but Bob was grateful for the support of his children and their families. Bob died peacefully on October 5, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. He is survived by five daughters, ten grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.

A private burial and celebration of life with take place on November 24. In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a memorial fund in Bob’s name with Habitat for Humanity. The link to donate is listed below.