Russell L. Boster, 84, of Proctorville, OH
On Sunday, February 21, 2021, Russell moved to his heavenly home where no sadness, sickness or pain can ever touch him again. He died in the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House in Huntington, WV, with his beloved children by his side. Russell was preceded in death in March 2020 by his life partner Rebecca E. Cape. Russell was born on July 25, 1936 to the late Homer P. and Ruth Cook Boster. Also preceding him in death were his brothers: James, Donald, Emmett “Harvey”, Jackie, William “Dale”, and John Boster and his sisters Virginia “Rose” Boster Rigney and Mamie Ellen Boster. He was also preceded in death by his best friend, James “Jim” McCloud. Russell is survived by one sister, Frances “Fanny” Boster Houghtby, of Red Bluff, CA. Also surviving are his children, Thomas Boster, of Indianapolis, IN; Michael (Beth) Boster, of Proctorville; Pamela Boster (Keith) McGuire, of South Point; and Troy (Lisa) Boster, of Proctorville; grandchildren Whitney (Daniel) Murphy; Daniel Boster; and Jared (Chelsie) Boster; and great-grandchildren Liana Streets, Jasmine Murphy and Kingston Pickett. Additionally, he is survived by a large number of cousins, nephews, nieces, friends and neighbors. A hero is defined as “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. Most children only get to see their heroes on television or read about them in books. Russell’s children were blessed to have been born to and lived with a genuine hero...their Dad. Russell served his family, his community and his country well. His children and grandchildren idolized him and could fill many pages with the lessons learned throughout a lifetime together. He was the leader and rock of the Boster family, a steadfast, hard-working man, and he will be missed immensely. His death leaves a void that will never be filled this side of heaven. As one of ten children, Russell learned the meaning of commitment to family, teamwork, loyalty, genuineness, toughness, selflessness, thrift, hard work, patriotism, community, and so many other core values that he lived out and modeled his entire life. When he was a young boy, the family lived in a very small house in a narrow hollow behind the old Gardner Fruit Farm. Russell and his brothers worked the fields and orchards of Rome Township to make a few extra dollars for the family. Life was not always easy, but he and his family made the best of life as much as possible. Russell learned several trades during his lifetime including welding, carpentry, farming, plumbing, electrical, and became, in general, a jack-of-all-trades. Russell was a true patriot with a deep love for his country and his community until the day he died. He had a servant’s heart, and throughout his lifetime he served in many capacities. After graduating from Fairland High School, Russell joined the United States Army – serving as a soldier in the 23rd anti-aircraft artillery battalion, Army 8th Division and the 28th field battalion, Army 8th Division. He finished his military service with the U.S. Army Reserves in 1962. He was not only a proud six-year veteran of the United States military but a lifetime member of numerous veteran’s service and fraternal organizations as follows: VFW Post 1064 Honor Guard; the National VFW Children’s Home; Howard P. Hall VFW Post # 1064 lifetime member; Military Order of The Cootie; Disabled American Vets lifetime member; American Legion Post 16 lifetime member; as well as fraternal organizations such the Loyal Order of the Moose, International; and a Master Mason with the Proctorville Lodge #550.Serving in his home community: As the Rome Township community grew, a group of young men saw the need to form a fire department. Several men -including Russell, a few of his brothers and cousins, some friends who were part of a Sunday School class at Beulah Baptist Church, and local businessmen – came together to form a private fire company, which they named Rome Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. As their vision became reality, those men fabricated the first fire truck from a donated fuel tanker and conducted year-round fundraisers to keep the fire department operating. Many of those founding members mortgaged their homes to ensure the department had safe, functional equipment. The early fire department operated from the Alva Boster Keystone gas station at the corner of State Route243 and State Route 7 before moving to the Old Lock 27 property owned by the Fairland School Board. As a fire department member, Russell was among the first trained emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and assisted the then newly-established Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services. In 2012, he and other founding members were recognized for 50 years of service with the fire department. He was also a member of the Lawrence County Firefighters’ Association and the State Firefighters’ Association. Russell traveled extensively to destinations around the world during and after his military service - visiting a dozen or more countries including most of Europe. During his lifetime he visited all 50 states and traveled across the US more than 30 times to visit his mom, brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews in California, Colorado, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Nebraska and several other states. His family often accused him of having a road map in his head since he could recount, in extraordinary detail, each route, each exit, each stop he made and other specific travel information from any one of his trips. During travels with his children, the family experienced most of the nation’s most popular national parks and attractions. Locally, he and his family enjoyed stockcar racing and drag-racing events on most weekends. Russell traveled with family and friends to many large-venue auto races such as Daytona, the Indy 500, and so on. Though the last few years of his life were filled with many difficulties and health challenges, Russell maintained a quiet, independent and humble demeanor. He lived an amazingly full life and made his final journey on February 21, 2021. A Memorial Service honoring Russell will be conducted on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 3 pm at Hall Funeral Home and Crematory in Proctorville, OH with Pastor Todd Pauley officiating and Pastor Anthony Thomas assisting. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Condolences may be expressed to the family at ehallfuneralhome.com Proctorville Lodge #550 will conduct masonic rites at 2:45 pm. VFW Post#6878 Proctorville will conduct military rites. Rome Volunteer Fire Department and Lawrence County 911 will conduct the Firefighter’s Last Call Ceremony. The family offers an apology to friends and family for having to re-schedule the memorial service due to family illness. It was originally set for earlier in March. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Rome Volunteer Fire Department at PO Box 966 Proctorville, OH 45669; to VFW Post 6878 in Proctorville; or to a veteran’s organization of your choice.
