Memorial services for Robert (Bob) Boeding of Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, and Brookings, will be held Sunday Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, Eighth Street and Main Avenue in Brookings. Robert passed away October 3 in Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Funeral and Internment were held in Minnesota on Oct. 8.

Robert John Boeding was born April 29, 1941,  to John and Alma Boeding at the two room Dupree Hospital. He went home to live on the family homestead on the Cheyenne River Reservation area by Glad Valley, South Dakota to be the first born son of proud and happy parents.  His early years there were good as he learned the early joy of music and dancing at barn dances.

That wonderful life in the family was shortlived. By 1943 his parents were diagnosed with tuberculosis and were sent to Sanator in the Black Hills for isolation and recovery. He was sent to live with his mother’s parents the Whiteheads for two years. His sister Julie born in 1943 was sent to live with an Aunt and Uncle and his brother Jerry was born at Sanator and went to live with a foster family.

In 1946 the family was reunited at the family ranch at Glad Valley but all the medical bills and three years of hail forced the family to sell the farm/ranch and move on to Armour, South Dakota where his father found employment on a mink ranch.  

After he got back to Glad Valley he whizzed through the first two grades at the Glad Valley School. In the third grade he was sent back to the second grade because he was too stupid to read. 

He learned later that he actually could not see so that prompted his lifetime commitment to service for people who needed glasses. His move to Armour was traumatic. He entered Armour grade school wearing bib overalls. All the other boys were wearing cool blue jeans. Then came high school at good old Armour High. There Robert excelled in music where he made all state chorus and won awards at music contests. He also was on the school newspaper staff and the annual staff. He exhibited his acting ability in the junior class play.  On the academic side he was a great student in business and accounting. 

His high school years were tough. After school he went to work at a grocery store until 6 p.m. and then went to the theatre by 6:45 p.m. to run the movie projection equipment. He often was there until 10 p.m. at night.

He graduated from Armour High School in 1960 and went on to Nettleton Business School. He worked his way through school living in one room and getting one meal a day by working in a diner.

He went to work for NSP at the Pathfinder Atomic Power Plant in Sioux Falls. He moved to Minneapolis with NSP in 1979 and as a power systems operator had the responsibilities of switching power lines in and out of service for maintenance and restoring power during storms. He retired there after 35 years of service.

In the meantime he was drafted into the Army and after basic training and Military Police School he was assigned to the Armed Forces Police Detachment in New York City. It was at Cardinal Spellman’s serviceman’s club in Manhattan that he met his beautiful future wife, Patricia Boehringer. They were united in marriage in 1967 and Patricia passed away in 2008 after almost 41 years of marriage. His wife loved cruises and travel so they had many wonderful trips. They also enjoyed many hours of dancing together.

In 2012 he was united with his high school classmate Bernadine Blume Enevoldsen who had lost her husband of 40 years. They had a religious commitment ceremony joining them to enjoy what life they had remaining.

His major volunteer activities included VOSH, Lions and Knights of Columbus. As a VOSH volunteer he went on 20 eye glass missions giving free used eyeglasses to disadvantaged individuals in developing and underdeveloped countries. He was devoted to this effort so no child would ever suffer in school because he/she did not have sight and no adult would be unable to work because they could not see. 

On those 20 missions between 30,000 and 40,000 eyeglasses were distributed. He served individuals in Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, St. Vincent, Guyana, South America, Nicaragua, Haiti, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico. He coordinated 9 of the 20 missions in which he participated. Coordination of a mission requires about 500 hours of preparation in the year preceding the mission. 

In addition to going on missions he served five years as president of VOSH Minnesota and attended five International Meetings. At the meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2013 he received the Franklin Harms award for service to VOSH. He also traveled extensively to do presentations about VOSH to church groups and service clubs in Minnesota and other states. He talked about past mission trips sharing the success of the humanitarian effort. 

He also received many awards for his service to Lions including five Melvin Jones Fellowship Awards. 

He was also Lion of the year for his Spring Lake Park Lions. He traveled thousands of miles speaking to Lions Clubs raising money for the Lions Research Building at the University of Minnesota. He volunteered every year at the Thanksgiving for Vision Program.  

He served on the University of Minnesota Eye Bank Board of Directors for five years and the Vision Foundation Board of Directors for five years as well as numerous other boards related to his work with improving sight.

His major involvement with the Knights of Columbus was raising money for the church activities by working the Lenten Fish Fries for six weeks every year.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia, parents John and Alma Boeding and siblings Julie Bigge, Francis Boeding, and Lucy Ellis. He is survived by his daughters Mary Fernandez, Boca Raton, Florida, Audrey (Erik) Hendrickson, and Amy (Josh) Davison, Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, seven grandchildren Ariel, Sebastian, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Nolan, Joseph and Isabella. 

He is also survived by his loving companion, Bernadine Enevoldsen, Brookings, and her family Victoria, Bernard, Alexa and Blake Andrys, Clarksville, Maryland. 

Survivors also include his siblings, Jerry Boeding, Fullerton, California, Susan Chapman, Rosanky, Texas, Rita (Bob) Steckel, Letcher, and Debra Boeding, Sioux Falls,and their families. Included among survivors are many other relatives and friends.