Margaret M. Boggess died peacefully in her sleepon May 1, 2014. She was 100 years old.

She was born Margaret Elmira Miller on September11, 1913 at her grandparents’ house in Pomona. Herparents, Nellie and Charles, lived on a five-acre dairyon Kingsley and Monte Vista in Pomona. She and hertwo brothers, Harold and Alfred, grew up roaming thesurrounding groves and enjoying trips to the beach.Life wasn’t all play. Young Margaret made at least adozen pies a week to help feed the many men whoworked in the dairy. Expert baking was a talent shewould be known for throughout her life.

Margaret graduated from Chaffey College with anAssociate of Arts degree in 1933. Soon after, she metIowa native Clayton Boggess through a friend of afriend when he was out visiting southern California.The couple was married in 1934. They resided in theHawkeye State for two years before coming back tothe Inland Valley, where Mrs. Boggess would live forthe rest of her life.

She and her husband lived in a few different placesin Pomona before settling in 1946 at their final home,located on nearly an acre in north Claremont. The landwas in a lemon grove so the yard was packed withlemon trees, but she longed for a garden she couldmake her own. Mr. Boggess knew a thing or twoabout trees, having co-founded B & R Tree Service afew years earlier. He landscaped the yard for his wife,allowing her to plant a variety of fruit trees. Margaretalso created an expansive garden, featuring masses ofroses and tulips, as well as a sizeable vegetable patch.

“She loved to see gardens and gardeners the worldover and would marvel at the similarities and differ-ences and just revel in the sheer beauty of nature,” hergranddaughter Margaret O’Neill shared. “When talk-ing about the differences in gardening styles, shewould always remark, “That’s why they make choco-late and vanilla ice cream. Everybody likes somethingdifferent.’”

Having lived through the Depression, Mrs. Boggesslet nothing go to waste. She canned tomatoes, madeher own applesauce and was famous for her jams andjellies, featuring homegrown ingredients like apricots,pomegranates and blackberries.

“Anything that grew on the property got canned, soto speak,” her grandson Steven Felschundneff said.“And anyone who ventured on the property at theright time of year left with a jar of jam and maybe a jarof pickles.”

Mr. Felschundneff fondly recalls her bread and but-ter pickles as well as her “wicked stuffing” and bakedgoods.

“She would bake bread every week,” he said. “Thatwarm bread with butter was the best thing in theworld.”

Mrs. Boggess had an uncanny way of rememberingthe favorite pies of her friends and relatives. On theirbirthdays, Mr. Felschundneff and his sister Theresaknew they could count on their grandmother preparinga fresh-from-scratch pie, coconut cream and cherry,respectively.

Mrs. Boggess, who insisted “handwork is awoman’s sanity,” also spent a great deal of time knit-ting and sewing. She made handmade clothes for herchildren and grandchildren and continued to knit pro-lifically into her late 90s. Over the years, she turnedout dozens of knitted washcloths to sell at the Pilgrim

Place Festival and countless beanies to help warm thepremature babies at a local hospital.

While she enjoyed many traditionally feminine pur-suits, Mrs. Boggess had a bit of snap to her.

“She was a very poised woman but, as she used tosay, she loved a beer straight from the can now andthen,” Ms. O’Neill shared. “And she was a stubbornwoman. Grandma was a sweetheart, but she alwaysstood up for what was right.”

With her quick wit, striking blue eyes, beautifulsmile and vivacious personality, Mrs. Boggess left alasting impression on everyone who met her.

Mrs. Boggess’ zest for life was especially remark-able because she endured so many losses over theyears. The first of the Boggesses’ children, David, diedas an infant. They had a son, Johnny and a daughter,Janice, who passed away in their teens in the 1950s.Mrs. Boggess was widowed in 1965 and eventuallyoutlived her daughters Joan and Jane, as well as herteenaged granddaughter Gretchen.

“She just soldiered on. That was part of her charac-ter,” Ms. O’Neill said.

Joan, a longtime Claremont resident, was a well-loved and respected science teacher whose service atClaremont schools earned her a Teacher of the Yearaward. Jane spent many years traveling and had a dis-tinguished career in the family planning field. Bothwere known for having inherited their mother’s fierceindependence.

“They were called ‘The Damn Boggess Women,’and it wasn’t always meant as a compliment,” Ms.O’Neill laughed. “But they always took it as a compli-ment. They were a force to be reckoned with—moversand shakers in their own way.”

Mrs. Boggess also passed on her love of all thingsculinary, and enjoyed nothing so much as cookingwith her daughters. Joan died in 1999 and Jane died in2004.

B & R Tree Service came to thrive, servicing manyof the street trees in Claremont as well as doing muchof the tree work for the Claremont Colleges. They alsoworked to help clear the trees for the Mt. Baldy skilift. Mrs. Boggess served on the city of Claremont’stree committee for many years, putting her arborealexpertise to good use.

After Clayton died in 1965, the homemaker turnedbusinesswoman. Margaret ran the tree service untilshe retired in 1979. Her leadership in a male-domi-nated field was an unusual feat for the time.

She spent her retirement traveling, gardening, bak-

ing, cooking, knitting and sewing. She continued can-ning the many fruits that she grew in her groves andmade homemade jam and pies until the last few yearsof her life. Mrs. Boggess, who had a recurring dreamof flying with the birds, was also an amateur bird-watcher. She loved hearing the mourning doves andalways waited eagerly for the mockingbirds to begincalling in the spring.

“She was a woman of the earth,” Ms. O’Neill said. She was a dedicated grandmother, always interested

in the lives of the young people around her. “She lit up when talking about her grandchildren

and great-grandchildren and their many activities andaccomplishments,” Ms. O’Neill said.

Mrs. Boggess’ home provided an idyllic refuge forher grand- and great-grandchildren. It was a smallfarm, surrounded by citrus groves, and home to rab-bits, goats, chickens and peafowl. She also foundroom to house various relatives’ horses and ponies.There was space to wander and a blackberry vine beg-ging to be harvested.

Mrs. Boggess was a woman of many interests, hergrandchildren shared. She was very involved in all ofthe doings of the Claremont United Church of Christ,serving on the flower committee among other groupsand volunteering for Meals on Wheels. In her youngeryears, she was a Girl Scout troop leader. She enjoyedlistening to classical music, pored through the newspa-per every day and tuned into informative TV programslike the “MacNeil News Hour” and Huell Howser’s“California Gold!” She was especially interested innews about agriculture and farmers the world over.

In 1987, Mrs. Boggess became seriously ill. Mr.Felschundneff remembers his mom connecting withthe entire family via telephone, telling them to preparefor the worst.

“She said, ‘Grandma’s in the hospital and she’s notgoing to make it,’” Mr. Felschundneff remembered.“As it turned out, she outlived all the people makingthose calls.”

In her last days, Mrs. Boggess, who celebrated her100th birthday at the Los Angeles County Fair, de-rived great pleasure from being around her grandchil-dren, great-grandchildren and many friends. She was aconstant inspiration, according to family.

“I was always amazed at the number of people thatwould call or drop by her home of 68 years and tellabout times when Margaret helped them when theywere in need, either with a meal on the table, a listen-ing ear or advice that was genuine and from the heart,”Ms. O’Neill said. “She is a woman who made an im-pression on so many lives—a mother and mentor tomany in her own family and beyond. She will bedearly missed.”

Mrs. Boggess is survived by three grandchildren,Theresa Darrass and her husband David, MargaretO’Neill and Steven Felschundneff and his wife Graceas well as by his nephew and his wife, Richard andBarbara Miller. She also leaves four great-grandchil-dren: Niko, Hannah, Josh and Jasmine.

A memorial service for Mrs. Boggess will be heldon Saturday, May 24 at 2 p.m. at the Kingman Chapelof the Claremont United Church of Christ, located at233 Harrison Ave. in Claremont. A reception will fol-low at the house of her grandson Steven. All are wel-come to attend.

Margaret BoggessLoving matriarch and friend, passionate gardener

Claremont COURIER/Friday, May 16, 2014 13OBITUARIES

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