Obituary for Lee Boyes
Lee James Boyes, of Sellersville, passed away at 5:05 AM, on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. He was 85.
He was the husband of Anne (Newton) Boyes.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late James Thomas and Emily Theresa (Reilly) Boyes.
As a boy, he embraced life as a challenge to be met with a smile or a characteristic whistle, even when his brothers almost burned him at the stake, and he claims to have had a decent arm until he put it through a laundry ringer. Potential pitching careers aside, Lee’s arm was strong enough to make him a formidable snare drummer. In 1951, he traveled to Chicago where he took second place in a national bugle and drum corps competition for snare drumming.
Three years later, on his 21st birthday, he received a draft notice for the Korean War. Lee spent 18 months in mud-floor tents and had many stories to share of his time there. While in Korea, he also developed lifelong habits of cooking enough for an army, folding bedsheets with precise hotel corners, perfectly ironing shirts, and polishing his shoes until they shone.
Returning from the war, he took a job dipping and, later, stringing telephone wire for the Philadelphia Bell Telephone Company. Lee stayed with Bell for 28 years and parented a growing brood of children with his first wife, Eugenia Reese. In 1982, he became a stay-at-home father to his daughter from his second marriage, to Anne Newton.
Mr. Boyes was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church, Sellersville. A 4th degree Knight of Columbus, he was active in the charismatic renewal of the Catholic church and dedicated to the pro-life movement.
Lee was abundantly proud of all his children and often referred to them as his life’s accomplishment. He spoke often of Joe’s sense of responsibility and determination, Theresa’s dedication to children, Dorothy and Jeanmarie’s skills as artists, Vinny’s strength of character and humor, Timothy’s athletic prowess and work ethic, Mike’s intelligence and grit, and Tina’s cooking.
The joy he took in his children was rivaled by just a few things, which included intoning his tenor voice in any respectable song, his Irish heritage, real birch beer, and, of course, ice cream.
Anyone acquainted with Lee knew him to be both kind and merciful in character. Anyone who encountered him at all, found him to be friendly and loquacious.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Boyes is survived by his children, Joseph Boyes, Theresa Boyes, Dorothy Boyes, Timothy Boyes, Michael Boyes, Jeanni Bennett, and Christina Boyes. He is also survived by three step-children, David Flounders, Rusty Flounders, and Laura Haupt; ten grandchildren, Lindsay and Nicholas Boyes, Rachel Koontz, Lanee Epting, Jonny Casey, Skye and Hannah Bennett, Gabriella and Bekah Boyes, and Ivan Ramirez-Boyes; and six step-grandchildren, David Flounders Jr., Patricia “Alli” Flounders, Aryel Flounders, Allie Haupt, Mike Haupt, and Remi Flounders.
He was preceded in death by a son, Vincent Boyes.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 15, 2019, in St. Agnes Catholic Church, 445 North Main Street, Sellersville, PA 18960, where a visitation will be held from 8:45- 9:45 a.m.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Philadelphia.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Mr. Boyes be made to the pro-life charity of one's choice.
An Irish Funeral Blessing
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Everything remains as it was.
The old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no sorrow in your tone.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort
Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was.
There is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting, when we meet again.
He was the husband of Anne (Newton) Boyes.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late James Thomas and Emily Theresa (Reilly) Boyes.
As a boy, he embraced life as a challenge to be met with a smile or a characteristic whistle, even when his brothers almost burned him at the stake, and he claims to have had a decent arm until he put it through a laundry ringer. Potential pitching careers aside, Lee’s arm was strong enough to make him a formidable snare drummer. In 1951, he traveled to Chicago where he took second place in a national bugle and drum corps competition for snare drumming.
Three years later, on his 21st birthday, he received a draft notice for the Korean War. Lee spent 18 months in mud-floor tents and had many stories to share of his time there. While in Korea, he also developed lifelong habits of cooking enough for an army, folding bedsheets with precise hotel corners, perfectly ironing shirts, and polishing his shoes until they shone.
Returning from the war, he took a job dipping and, later, stringing telephone wire for the Philadelphia Bell Telephone Company. Lee stayed with Bell for 28 years and parented a growing brood of children with his first wife, Eugenia Reese. In 1982, he became a stay-at-home father to his daughter from his second marriage, to Anne Newton.
Mr. Boyes was a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church, Sellersville. A 4th degree Knight of Columbus, he was active in the charismatic renewal of the Catholic church and dedicated to the pro-life movement.
Lee was abundantly proud of all his children and often referred to them as his life’s accomplishment. He spoke often of Joe’s sense of responsibility and determination, Theresa’s dedication to children, Dorothy and Jeanmarie’s skills as artists, Vinny’s strength of character and humor, Timothy’s athletic prowess and work ethic, Mike’s intelligence and grit, and Tina’s cooking.
The joy he took in his children was rivaled by just a few things, which included intoning his tenor voice in any respectable song, his Irish heritage, real birch beer, and, of course, ice cream.
Anyone acquainted with Lee knew him to be both kind and merciful in character. Anyone who encountered him at all, found him to be friendly and loquacious.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Boyes is survived by his children, Joseph Boyes, Theresa Boyes, Dorothy Boyes, Timothy Boyes, Michael Boyes, Jeanni Bennett, and Christina Boyes. He is also survived by three step-children, David Flounders, Rusty Flounders, and Laura Haupt; ten grandchildren, Lindsay and Nicholas Boyes, Rachel Koontz, Lanee Epting, Jonny Casey, Skye and Hannah Bennett, Gabriella and Bekah Boyes, and Ivan Ramirez-Boyes; and six step-grandchildren, David Flounders Jr., Patricia “Alli” Flounders, Aryel Flounders, Allie Haupt, Mike Haupt, and Remi Flounders.
He was preceded in death by a son, Vincent Boyes.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 15, 2019, in St. Agnes Catholic Church, 445 North Main Street, Sellersville, PA 18960, where a visitation will be held from 8:45- 9:45 a.m.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Philadelphia.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Mr. Boyes be made to the pro-life charity of one's choice.
An Irish Funeral Blessing
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Everything remains as it was.
The old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no sorrow in your tone.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort
Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was.
There is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting, when we meet again.