Obituary of Thomas Earl Boardman

The world lost one of its sweetest, most gentle souls on November 11, 2016, with the sudden passing of Thomas (Tom) Earl Boardman, 81, of Felton, CA, due to melanoma complications. He peacefully took his last breath, surrounded by family, just as his great grandchildren finished singing "I am a Child of God" to him. Tom now joins his love of 44 years, wife Cathy, who passed away August 22, 2015. Born August 8, 1935, the son of the late Thomas Holbourn Boardman and Phyllis Ruby (Christiansen) Knight, Tom was a consummate builder, inventor and entrepreneur, owning a successful automotive repair business at the age of 17. In addition to his numerous business and real estate ventures, he was employed in the Public Works Department for the City of San Jose, CA, for over 30 years, where he made many lifelong friends. He retired in 1987 and spent the remainder of his years maintaining investment properties, working and tinkering on his Flying B Ranch in Felton. Tom was married to Marcelyn (Marcy) Jean Wahlquist in 1957 and together they had a daughter, Julie. Divorcing in 1964, he later found and married his eternal wife Catherine (Cathy) Frances Hannel in 1971. From this second union came a son, Chris. In addition to his children who have grown to be exceptional people and forever grateful for his wise teachings and immense love, Tom is survived by his half-brother Frank (Christine) Boardman; grandchildren Ryan Rorden; Jeanine (Nathaniel) Gee, and their children Haven, Hyrum, Adalyn, Annabel, Marriner and Emily; Adrienne Rorden; Erin (Michael) Monsivais and their children Lucy and Theo; and many special cousins and treasured friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, great grandchild Matthias Gee and beloved wife Cathy. He was a quiet, caring and patient man who always had good things to say. He maintained a positive attitude through any challenges placed before him. He was known for his integrity, creativity and desire to help those in need, such as extricating a 10-year-old boy from the quagmire at the bottom of Lexington Reservoir and possibly saving his life; rescuing an elderly couple from their car, which was precariously balanced on tree branches over a ravine after the driver failed to negotiate a sharp turn on Highway 17; and capturing yet another inquisitive silver-haired bat from the small living room of a petrified neighbor, fearful the bat would get tangled in her hair. Tom never met a dirt road he didn't like. Yearning to roam in his late teens, he explored the rural countryside of southern Utah over several summers, where his mom was born and generations of his pioneer family settled. With the world travel bug firmly imbedded by the time he was 20, Tom ventured west to the wild washboard roads of Australia on a second-hand motorcycle, after working his way there as a motorman apprentice on the 10,000-ton Swedish freighter, Wangarretta. Over a 1,000 bumpy miles later, the Australian leg of his world tour came to an unexpected end because his motorcycle could go no further after he chose to plow into bales of hay when his brakes failed instead of hitting an old lady stopped an intersection. Monsoon season was also quickly approaching, so he flew back to the states with travel dreams still firmly intact. Itching to hit the road again in his 30's, he and his daughter, Julie, drove north in a decked-out VW bus to personally inspect the newly planned Trans-Alaskan Pipeline route. Driving the long and lonely, yet beautiful, unpaved Alaskan Highway was an adventure unto itself; 5 flat tires in 50 miles, for instance. His last great dirt road adventure occurred in his 50's when he, his wife Cathy and son Chris took a dusty covered wagon trip in Wyoming, which harkened back to the life his ancestors experienced as they crossed the plains in the 1850's.. Forever the child at heart, Tom was passionate about playing. He is fondly remembered by his family as an instigator and eager participant in shark tooth hunting, hiking, teepee building, kite flying, frog jumping and balsa wood glider designing. Not many outside his immediate family knew of his secret enjoyment of writing funny little poems, a family tradition that is now being carried on by the third generation. In honor of that tradition, and to capture his essence, his grandchildren collaborated and wrote the following original poem shortly after his death that will surely ring true to those who knew him well: An angel in heaven today went to sing And found his old lute had electric harp strings As one took to flight with glad tidings to bring He found he'd been fitted with motorized wings On white sandy beaches, some saints danced a reel, Where the pier had once stood, now a bright Ferris wheel And others erupted with jubilant thrill At trumpets, all welded to make a pinwheel And even St. Peter soon hardly could speak To find someone fixed the pearl gates' sinful squeak But smiled while into his ledger he peaked "Of Course! Tommy Boardman arrived here last week!" Tom provided a wonderful example of how to live life in a positive light, maintain a childlike curiosity and quietly serve others. As per his request, he chose cremation and no formal service. We ask you, however, to remember him by doing a thoughtful and unexpected good deed for a neighbor or stranger. That will bring a smile to his face, even from afar.