Obituary of John R. Bovard

John Bovard, a lifelong resident of our area, passed into the arms of our Lord on June 5, 2010 after a long illness. John was accompanied to Heaven surrounded with the love of his family. John’s love for his family was the driving force in his life and that love for each family member grew each day that the Lord gave him on this earth. John was a student of history and loved to share the glimpses of the past he would glean from artifacts he preserved in printer’s trays and his love of reading history books allowed him the wisdom to explain the past in a way that opened many hearts and minds to other times and other worlds. He was an avid Cleveland Brown’s fan and loved watching football and baseball with his friends and family. He loved gardening and fishing and especially loved his trips to Contention Pond in Hillsboro, NH, where he vacationed with his family. Of all the things in life, nothing pleased John more than sharing and being with the children and grandchildren. Family, friends, fellow workers were all precious to John and his presence will be missed by those left behind. His struggle with illness brought John ever closer to the Lord and allowed him to transfer from this world to Eternity with an enviable peace that passed all understanding. As a student of history his desire would be for all to learn from his life and to appreciate all that God has given us, to take time to appreciate the things we take for granted, spend more time loving the most important people in our lives and to realize that life can be much too short and to make each day something beautiful. Preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Betty, he is survived by his former wife and friend, Marilee; children, Joshua (Chelsie) Bovard of Calif., Jennifer Edelen of Akron and Jacob of Cuyahoga Falls; grandchildren, Hunter, Taylor, Brooke and Justin; brothers, Robert (Peggy) of Cuyahoga Falls and James (Holly) of Cuyahoga Falls and a host of other relatives and friends and family pet, Scooter. Though John’s passing leaves a void in this world, we pray that all who knew him and loved him will continue his walk to God’s best in their lives and give what John would if he were given more days on this world. We will all miss you John from this side of heaven. Bye John, bye. Pastor Tom Bloom will conduct service Tuesday 11:30 AM at Redmon Funeral Home, where friends may call from 9:30 AM until service time.  John's video tribute may be seen here.