Gail W. Boice, 72
Thief River Falls – Gail Boice, 72, of Thief River Falls, died suddenly on Friday, February 10, 2017 at Sanford Hospital in Thief River Falls.
Memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Thief River Falls, with Father Rick Lambert presiding. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service led by Rev. Sheila Michaels, on Wednesday, February 15, 2017 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls.
Gail William Boice was born on November 28, 1944 in Milbank, SD the son of Burdette and Gladys (Hills) Boice. He was baptized at the Marvin Baptist Church. He graduated from South Shore High School in South Shore, SD. Following high school, Gail entered into service with the United States Air Force. He was stationed at Grand Forks, ND, Tucson, AZ, Denver, CO and did two tours in Vietnam. Gail was Honorably Discharged.
On June 5, 1966, Gail was united in marriage to Sandra Nord at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Plummer. To this union came eight children, Martin, George, Sheila, Dawn, Teresa, LeRoy, Della, and Jason. The family made their home in Red Lake Falls where Gail was very active in church and community.
Gail was a mechanic at Falls Equipment in Red Lake Falls where he later owned and operated the business. It was later known as RLF Equipment Inc. Following the closing of the business, Gail attended UND Aviation where he became an Instrumental Flight Instructor. After UND he taught aviation at the Thief River Falls Airport. From 1989-1994, Gail worked as an airline pilot for TWA in St. Louis, MO. Gail then went to work as the general manager at Falls Diesel. Gail was a Technical Writer at Arctic Cat for ten years and then retired for a short time before returning in a part time capacity. Gail’s love for people brought him back to work.
On December 28, 2013, Gail was united in marriage to Patricia Jordan in East Grand Forks. The couple resided in Thief River Falls.
Gail had a tremendous sense of humor, had the gift of gab, was known to elaborate on one or two stories and knew how to spin a tale. He was a beloved friend who had a huge heart and loved people. He was an extremely hard worker and also liked to play. He was passionate about cooking, spending time outdoors, riding his Harleys, being at the hunting cabin, feeding the birds, camping, traveling, fishing on Lake Of The Woods. Gail loved his country and loved to honor fellow veterans by serving on the Minnesota Patriot Guard.
Survivors include his loving wife Tricia of Thief River Falls; children, Martin (Terri) Boice of Clinton, UT, George (Blanca) Boice of Warroad, Sheila Michaels of Thief River Falls, Dawn (Paul) Nelson of Dalton, Teresa (David) Haugen of Plummer, LeRoy (Roxanne Iverson) Boice of Thief River Falls, Della Boice of Grand Forks, ND, and Jason Boice of Red Lake Falls; mother of his children, Sandra Boice of Crookston; grandchildren, Jeromy, Amber, Josh, Jordan, Scott, Jordan, Sarah, Mariah, Paige, Shania, Shelby, Lora, Zach, Amy, Amber, Tyler, Wyatt, Logan, Dawson and Tucker; great-grandchildren, Payten, Billy, and one on the way in April; brothers, David (Marjorie) Boice, Clarence (Shirley) Boice and Duane (Lois) Boice; and many other relatives and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
Condolences may be sent at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com
Military honors will be provided by the Ecklund-Holmstrom American Legion Post 117, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2793, Minnesota National Guard Honor Guard & the Minnesota Patriot Guard
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