John O. Bostwick, Sr.

Born in Chardon, Ohio on July 13, 1934, he was the son of Harold King “Bags” Bostwick and Florence (née Rice) Bostwick. His father, an attorney, was the Geauga County Prosecutor in northeast Ohio during the 1930’s and thereafter in private practice, and his mother was a homemaker.

Mr. Bostwick received his secondary education at University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio and participated in track and field in the upper school, including the high hurdles. He attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana and graduated from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Following graduation, Mr. Bostwick went to work as a salesman for Master Builders, Inc. in Cleveland, a supplier of cement additives to the construction industry. In 1960, the company transferred him to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While there, he met the former Hrachik “Ricki” Ghazikhanian, who was born and raised in Isfahan, Iran and emigrated to England and then to the United States in 1957, and worked as head maternity nurse at Rancocas Valley Hospital in New Jersey. They were married in 1962 in Philadelphia.

Mr. Bostwick’s employer, Master Builders, Inc., transferred the family to Harrisburg, PA where they lived with their daughter, Carolyn, and where their sons, John, Jr. and Thomas were born. In 1967 they again made a company move briefly to Richmond, Virginia and then to Baltimore, Maryland settling in Lutherville. In 1969, they built their home in Hickory Meadow in Cockeysville, where they had lived ever since.

While supporting a young family, Mr. Bostwick moved in 1973 from Master Builders to Fox Industries, Inc. in Baltimore, a manufacturer of construction products including epoxy, urethanes, acrylic and other types of coatings and adhesives. In 1978, he moved to Supreme Services, Inc. in Arbutus, a company involved in janitorial cleaning services. In 1980, with a strong desire to run his own business, Mr. Bostwick purchased the ServiceMaster of Baltimore franchise initially located on Belair Road, just south of Hamilton Avenue. Over the next 15 years, Mr. and Mrs. Bostwick built a successful janitorial and commercial/residential cleaning company, and steered the company into the fledgling disaster restoration business.

With children John, Jr. and Carolyn running the day-to-day operations and significantly expanding the business since the mid-1990’s, this success allowed Mr. Bostwick and his wife, Ricki, to retire fully in 2000, turning the business over to John and Carolyn who, now with granddaughter Kathryn, successfully operate the business that was founded and nurtured by their parents.

Mr. Bostwick always loved music – especially jazz – including Dixieland and swing, and enjoyed attending concerts and shows. He was also a boater, owning several sailboats for over 30 years and spending summers with his wife and family on Middle River and the Chesapeake Bay. Mr. and Mrs. Bostwick traveled frequently throughout the country and the world in their later years, and also resided part time in Ft. Myers, FL. He particularly enjoyed a Great Lakes cruise with daughter Carolyn in August 2022. He was an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction, particularly factual books about World War II. He was also a fan of the Orioles, Ravens, and Maryland Terrapins and enjoyed watching their games on television.

He was the beloved husband of 56 years to the late Hrachik “Ricki” Bostwick, who passed away in 2019; loving father of Carolyn L. Bostwick of Ft. Myers, FL, John O. Bostwick, Jr. (and his wife Kim) of Cockeysville, and Thomas H. Bostwick (and his wife Janet), a local attorney, of Timonium; dear brother of the late Bette Campbell; cherished grandfather of Kathryn B. Wilson (and her husband Kevin), John Andrew, Amanda I., Hannah L., and Kelly E. Bostwick; and great-grandfather of Emma K. and Mark O. Wilson.

The family is very appreciative of the support and well-wishes of friends and colleagues. At his request, funeral services are private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in John's memory may be made to American Cancer Society, https://donate3.cancer.org/; and American Heart Association, https://www.heart.org.