Ronald Alvin Bohn

Ronald Alvin Bohn was born on December 1, 1932 to Donald and Catherine Bohn. He grew up in a German household where responsibility, discipline and family commitment were highly valued. His mother and father were faithful Catholics and this was passed on to Dad whose faith and commitment to the Catholic Church were a large part of his life.

In his early life and throughout adulthood, Dad loved hunting, fishing, and, later, golf. He told us that he would occasionally shoot a pheasant right from the back window of their home. His younger sister, Donna, is now the keeper of those family stories. She can tell any number of them with wit and humor and, often, she tells stories of Dad being the prankster big brother. Dad had four sisters, three of whom are deceased: Charlotte Gillis, Elaine, who died as a child, and Inez Gomoll, and Donna Helwig (California). He loved each of them deeply. He has many nieces and nephews that he tried to stay in touch with, especially after their parents passed away.

Dad served our country in the Korean war. He was very proud of his service to our country, although talking about his time in war was not something he did until more recently. He loved our country and felt that he couldn't live in a better place. One of the experiences he cherished was his Honor Flight to Washington, DC in 2017.

Dad married our mother, Barbara Kellogg, in 1955. Within a year, they started their family. Cathy, Don, Susan, Karen and Joanne were born while they lived in Oak Creek, Wisconsin: five children in seven years! We enjoyed horseback rides (on Dad), snow hills he built for sledding, and toddler blanket rides. We gathered several times a year with extended family for fun events with aunts, uncles and cousins. It is hard for me to keep track of how we were related to some of the more distant cousins!

Dad was a lineman for the electric company in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. While doing this work, he studied at Marquette University to get a degree in engineering; he was determined to better himself in order to provide for his family.

Dad moved us to southern California to study and work in the real estate appraisal business with Aunt Donna's husband, George Helwig. He enjoyed that work and later shared with us that he had appraised Desi Lu studios, had one of the Lassies jump on him and even appraised some mob holdings in Chicago (the latter in a hushed voice, of course).

During a slowdown in the real estate market Dad needed to find other work. His good friend, Jim Krzyzewski, helped him to get a job at Boeing where he put his engineering education to work. As a result, we moved to Bellevue, Washington. He managed to stay with Boeing during the company's downturn in the 60's. This was such a difficult time for him and he looked for ways to make sure he could take care of us. He took an additional job at a nearby drive-in theater on the weekends. We enjoyed family vacations that included camping and trips to Wisconsin to visit family.

Then Don, Susan, Joanne and I went to college, joined military service, got married and started having our children. I think that these were some of the happiest times for Dad although our sister, Karen (Jungquist), passed away during this time; this was a great sadness for our family.

Dad's 10 grandchildren made him so proud and he loved hearing about the events in their lives as they were growing up. With even more delight, he followed his grandchildren as they went to college, got married, and had their children. Dad had 15 great-grandchildren and two more are coming later this year. He would brag about his count of great-grandchildren to everyone and kept the most recent picture of the great-grandchildren nearby.

Dad retired from at Boeing at age 55 and about a year later Mom and Dad moved to Moses Lake. They enjoyed fishing, serving the community, and their church, Our Lady of Fatima. Dad played golf on a regular basis for a time. He served as Treasurer and, later, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council in Moses Lake. He and Mom were dedicated to supporting women in crisis pregnancies through the Knights and a crisis pregnancy center in Moses Lake. He became the primary support person for his good friend, the "Monsignor", a retired priest in the parish. He served as the Monsignor's sacristan during Mass in the parish and when he moved to nursing care. Dad was one of the Monsignor's best friends until Monsignor died in 2011.

In 2012 our Mom, Barbara, died. Dad and Mom were married for 56 years. Marriages have wonderful times and difficult times and Dad and Mom demonstrated their love and commitment to each other throughout their marriage. We children are greatly blessed for this love and commitment. Dad cared for Mom during all her different surgeries to help her deal with rheumatoid arthritis - learning how to cook their meals and clean their home when it was hard for her.

Through the years, Dad became one of the most kind, tender and loving men you could know. He would volunteer to help us with electrical problems or construction ideas in our homes, take grandchildren fishing, and help us during our most difficult moments.

After Mom's death, Dad found life challenging. He was alone for the first time in his life. He moved from Moses Lake to Redmond, WA to be closer to his children. He didn't want us to keep driving back and forth to Moses Lake just to keep him company and help him with various tasks. One of the blessings that happened after his move was that he met Sally. They were married on January 10, 2014. Sally has been such a wonderful blessing for Dad. He had a new spark in his life and a twinkle in his eyes. Dad and Sally were like teenagers in love. Dad loved Sally's children and spouses, too. He felt so lucky to be part of two loving families.

Don, Susan, Joanne and I were able to provide most of his care during this last month with help from his nursing assistant, Christine and hospice nurse, Joanne. He thought these two women were just wonderful and he was so grateful for the care they provided him. He enjoyed the conversations he had with both ladies during the course of their care for him.

God blessed Dad richly in his life. Dad prayed the rosary daily, asking Mary's intercession for himself and his family. He attended Mass weekly and received the gift of Holy Communion during the time he was in hospice at home, which gave him strength. He was so grateful for his family and the many friends who have been a part of his life. Although he did not want to leave Sally, or the rest of his family, he was ready to go to be with our Lord. He had fought the race and was ready to complete his journey, joining Mom, Karen, his parents, sisters, and other family members and friends in heaven.

We are grateful for EvergreenHealth, who provided great care for him in the hospital with such compassion; EvergreenHealth Hospice, who guided us with skill and compassion for Dad's care both in his home and in the hospice facility; and Fr. Frank Schuster, whose visits meant so much to him.

Ron is survived by his wife Sally Clark, his children, Cathy O'Connor (Dick), Don Bohn, Susan Velotta (Paul), Joanne Tucker (Brian); his sister, Donna Helwig; 10 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren with two more on the way; and many nieces and nephews and their families.

In lieu or flowers please make a donation to http://pugetsoundhonorflight.org/