John Boysen

Obituary of John BoysenDr. John Boysen loved his work. He retired not once but three times during his life. Dr. John E. Boysen, one of the founders of Hospice of Marion County has died. Boysen died on August 9, 2010. He was 97 years old. His funeral service will be held on his birthday, September 28, 2010. First from the Air Force in 1964, then from the Kennedy Space Center in 1968 and finally from the state of Florida in 1981."He was obsessed with helping people," said Boysen's daughter, Pegge Wasson, 69, who has been living near her parents in Ocala for 14 years. "He spent his life so that others' lives could be better."John Edward Boysen, 97, who died on Aug. 9, also had another distinction: He was one of the founding members of Hospice of Marion County. Boysen worked nonstop during his life, finding pleasure in saving lives, Wasson said. He set up hospitals in Vietnam during the war, served in the Air Force for 23 years and volunteering to help found the hospice in 1984."If a problem came up and he could solve it, he did it," Wasson said. "He was willing to help anybody with anything they needed. "Boysen, who was born in Pelican Rapids, Minn., graduated from the University of Minnesota medical school in 1934 and joined the Army Air Forces during World War II after Pearl Harbor. During his service in England in the 1940s, Boysen came up with a concept of using microwaves to cook food and feed patients more quickly. But the idea was rejected and considered bizarre by his superiors, so Boysen dropped it.When Percy Spencer patented his discovery of the microwave's heating effect in 1945, Boysen had one thing to say: "I learned my lesson.""He just moved on to the next thing," Wasson said, adding that he was very humble.Moving to Florida in 1970, Boysen first worked in Jacksonville as a staff physician in the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. Later, in Ocala, he worked as the director of the Marion County Health Unit and then as a health program supervisor of the Third District. "He was a wonderful person to work for," said Ann Allen, who worked as a public health nurse under Boysen in the health department and also was one of the founders of the hospice. "We were so grateful to have him help with the hospice."Aside from work, Boysen's passion was his family. He loved his wife, Cordula, who died in 2006 at 92. They were married for 69 years, Wasson said."He would give her flowers for just a tiniest little thing," she said. "After her death, he went on. But he never said too much."She said Boysen's love of computers helped him deal with the loss. Throughout his life, Boysen was an avid computer lover, getting one as soon as they came out. Wasson said he would spent hours on the Internet, writing e-mails and reading jokes. She said he would print his favorite jokes and show them to doctors during his medical appointments."We spent more money on ink and paper at Staples than you can ever imagine," Wasson said with a smile. "He was intrigued by technology in general." Boysen passed away in Sylvia's House, the first house built as part of the Hospice of Marion County he helped found. "He had a really great ending," Wasson said. He is survived by his sister, Elfrida Glas, 96, of Moorhead, Minn.; his son, John Peter, 63; his daughters, Pegge Wasson, 69, Debra Ellen Replogle, 55, and Karen Ann Nees, 70; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. The funeral service is scheduled to be at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell at 2 p.m. Sept. 28, which would have been Boysen's 98th birthday. A reception will follow at Boysen's house in Ocala. In lieu of flowers, Boysen wished everyone attending the service would donate money to the charities of their choice.

John Boysen

December 31, 1969 - August 9, 2010