John Eugene Boeddeker
December 20, 1947 ~ May 25, 2021
John E. Boeddeker, 73, of Falls Church, Virginia, passed away on May 25, 2021, at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
He was born December 20, 1947, in Ft. Madison, Iowa, to Leo and Doris Six Boeddeker. He graduated from Nauvoo-Colusa High School in 1965 and joined the United States Army in March 1966. He was a member of both the 82nd and 101st Airborne. He served as a radio operator in Vietnam, but he preferred being referred to as a paratrooper who made 80 jumps.
He assisted with crowd control during the inauguration of Jimmy Carter. John was Master Sergeant for the 3rd US Infantry (TOG) that served at the United Nations Honor Guard Company in South Korea. While in the military, he served honorably and with distinction. He received many commendations during his military career rising to the high rank of E8.
After retiring from the military, he worked for the Department of Agriculture and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He earned a Master’s Degree in both Psychology and Education. He was an adjunct professor teaching not only at Quantico Marine Base, but also at several colleges and universities including Webster University, Trinity College, Averite College, Lake Forest College, Georgetown University and George Mason University. John was an excellent teacher who had a gift for exceptional clarity in his classroom lectures. He was respected and appreciated by his students. From numerous students whom he taught over the years, he received many outstanding reviews.
John enjoyed traveling, going to the theatre, and listening to lectures, especially those of authors speaking at the Smithsonian Institution. (He even liked lecturing outside of the classroom!) He enjoyed all of the activities that living in the city afforded him. His greatest joy in life was following the New York Yankees. John liked animals, and took meticulous care of his pets, especially of his dogs (Sport and Sport 2) and his rabbits (Trooper, Dusty and Buddy).
John kept in touch with many people with whom he served over the years. Blessed are those who were in that circle of friends.
John is survived by one sister, Sharon (Mike) Wood of Niota, Illinois; one niece, Tami (Jamie) Kaminski and her children, Kayla, Katie and Cooper (or Connor as John liked to call him), of Dallas City, Illinois. He is also survived by a special friend, Dr. Barbara Baker, of Silver Spring, Maryland.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Bree.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Money and King Funeral Home, Vienna, Virginia, and King-Lynk Funeral Home in Ft. Madison, Iowa. Graveside services will be Friday, June 4, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. at Appanoose Cemetery in Niota, Illinois. The online guestbook is available at www.moneyandking.com
He was born December 20, 1947, in Ft. Madison, Iowa, to Leo and Doris Six Boeddeker. He graduated from Nauvoo-Colusa High School in 1965 and joined the United States Army in March 1966. He was a member of both the 82nd and 101st Airborne. He served as a radio operator in Vietnam, but he preferred being referred to as a paratrooper who made 80 jumps.
He assisted with crowd control during the inauguration of Jimmy Carter. John was Master Sergeant for the 3rd US Infantry (TOG) that served at the United Nations Honor Guard Company in South Korea. While in the military, he served honorably and with distinction. He received many commendations during his military career rising to the high rank of E8.
After retiring from the military, he worked for the Department of Agriculture and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He earned a Master’s Degree in both Psychology and Education. He was an adjunct professor teaching not only at Quantico Marine Base, but also at several colleges and universities including Webster University, Trinity College, Averite College, Lake Forest College, Georgetown University and George Mason University. John was an excellent teacher who had a gift for exceptional clarity in his classroom lectures. He was respected and appreciated by his students. From numerous students whom he taught over the years, he received many outstanding reviews.
John enjoyed traveling, going to the theatre, and listening to lectures, especially those of authors speaking at the Smithsonian Institution. (He even liked lecturing outside of the classroom!) He enjoyed all of the activities that living in the city afforded him. His greatest joy in life was following the New York Yankees. John liked animals, and took meticulous care of his pets, especially of his dogs (Sport and Sport 2) and his rabbits (Trooper, Dusty and Buddy).
John kept in touch with many people with whom he served over the years. Blessed are those who were in that circle of friends.
John is survived by one sister, Sharon (Mike) Wood of Niota, Illinois; one niece, Tami (Jamie) Kaminski and her children, Kayla, Katie and Cooper (or Connor as John liked to call him), of Dallas City, Illinois. He is also survived by a special friend, Dr. Barbara Baker, of Silver Spring, Maryland.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Bree.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Money and King Funeral Home, Vienna, Virginia, and King-Lynk Funeral Home in Ft. Madison, Iowa. Graveside services will be Friday, June 4, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. at Appanoose Cemetery in Niota, Illinois. The online guestbook is available at www.moneyandking.com
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John was my oldest friend. We served together in both Vietnam and Germany. We spent New Year’s Eve together in 1969. This is the two of us enjoying a beer together in Mainz.
John lived across the street from me in Falls Church. When my wife and I moved into the neighborhood, he came over and introduced himself as the ‘neighborhood jerk’ – although, in typical John fashion, he used more colorful language. Well that description was as far from the truth as you could get. He was a great neighbor and friend. I will really miss standing out in the street between our houses musing about any number of topics. It wasn’t uncommon for me or my wife to bump into him when we were leaving to run an errand or just getting home for work and end up shooting the breeze with him for an hour! Besides politics, yardwork was always a favorite topic of conversation.. He and I both loved to be outside working in the yard, but unfortunately shared a common trait of not being able to grow grass very well. John may have looked like a gruff guy, but reality he was kind, so interesting, refreshingly honest, and had a hilarious self-deprecating sense of humor. While it was brief, it was a real pleasure to know him – we’ll miss you Boeddeker.