grave import

Obituary

George Christopher Boesch died in the Burlington Hospital at 12:15 yesterday afternoon. The news quickly reached his old friends and business associates throughout the city and cast gloom over the entire community, for the activities of this citizen during his life here had reached men and women in all walks of life, and to all, he was a friend.
Born in Burlington nearly fifty-seven years ago, in forty busy years he became a leader in both business and civic affairs of Burlington. President of the John Boesch company, he also had many other interests, not the least of which was his constant effort to be of service to his city and fellow citizens.
While the tidings that death had come to him were not unexpected by the citizens of Burlington yet it was a shock to the community and came to many men, identified with Mr. Boesch in various activities, as a personal bereavement. The feeling of the community was reflected in the action of members of the Greater Burlington Association who were engaged in a group meeting in Hotel Burlington yesterday. When Lyman Guest, president of the association announced that Mr. Boesch had died, a resolution of sympathy and respect was proposed and will be sent to Mrs. Boesch and family.
The funeral will be held Sunday afternoon. The Rev. EH Muelder, pastor of St. Paul’s Methodist Chruch will be the officiating minister and the Masonic ritual will be exemplified by members of Des Moines lodge, No1, AF & AM Members of St. Omar commandery, Knights Templar, will serve as escort in full uniform and CC Clark, past grand master of Iowa, will have charge of the service at the grave. The place where the services will be conducted has not yet been definitely decided.
George C. Boesch was born in Burlington on August 24, 1866, the son of John Boesch and Anna Maria Deichart Boesch. His birthright was a strong strain of that liberty-loving independent and venturesome spirit that led his grandfather, Christian L. Boesch, to leave Germany in 1846 – the time when thousands of liberty-loving Germans escaped from autocratic rule to become builders of the United States and especially the middle-west. Christian Boesch came to Burlington at that time, bringing his son, John, then seven years of age.
John Boesch became one of the builders of Burlington and lead the foundation upon which George C. Boesch created one of the largest mercantile businesses in southeastern Iowa. George C. Boesch was born at 814 North Fourth Street. His first school days were spent in Klein’s school, conducted in the basement of the Lutheran church on Fifth Street. A little later he entered the North Hill public school and when he had completed the eighth-grade work he attended the Burlington high school. He left this school to take a course at the Elliott Business College.
John Boesch, on Feb. 14, 1884, took the step that probably did more than anything else to direct the subsequent career of his only son, George C. Boesch. This was the establishment of a dry goods and notion store in one room at the northeast corner of Fifth and Jefferson Streets, a district at that time on the edge of the retail business of the city. A small business at first, it grew and increased its volume of trade without enlarging its store space. When John Boesch died April 12, 1901, his establishment, financially solid and strong in its patronage was not among the larger retail enterprises of Burlington.
George C. Boesch had started as a clerk in his father’s store when eighteen years old. After the death of John Boesch, who left a son and an only daughter, Mrs. PM Smith, a business was conducted for two years by George C. Boesch for the estate. In July 1903, the John Boesch company was incorporated with George C. Boesch, PM Smith, and Mrs. Sarah Boesch as incorporators. George C. Boesch was the active manager of the business and its genius. Since then in less than twenty-two years the John Boesch company was doing a business of more than a million dollars a year. Instead of occupying one small store room, it was housed in a four-story and basement building that covered a half block of ground, and in place of two or three clerks, it required three score men and women to care for the great business in the many departments that George C. Boesch had built.
The story of George C. Boesch’s commercial success while a tribute to his business acumen would in no way account for the eminent position he held in Burlington and for the general regret that followed the announcement of his death. It was by one page in his life story, and but one facet in the diamond of his character.
He was a member of the old Commercial Exchange and was its president for two years. When the Greater Burlington Association was organized after the Commercial Exchange had merged its activities with this larger body there was a unanimous call to have George Boesch as its first president.
He was a member of the Burlington Board of Education for eleven years, a chairman of important school committees, and was noted for his insistence that the schools of Burlington should be so managed that the children from humble homes should have all the advantages of education that an adequate school course affords. He gave a great deal of time, taken from busy business life, to aid his fellow members of the school board in solving questions of finance, housing, and equipment and insisted that the same economy that marked his business career should rule in the expenditure of public money.
A director in the American Savings Bank and the First National Bank, Mr. Boesch gave valuable aid to the growth of Burlington by lending his voice in board meetings to the support of any legitimate loan that meant the expansion of any Burlington industry.
In his church life and in his moral and financial support of the work of the YMCA and the YWCA Mr. Boesch gave much unselfish service to Burlington. He was very active in his church, St. Paul’s Methodist.
Masonry claimed his allegiance soon after he attained his majority and he was a member of eight Masonic bodies. Des Moines Lodge No. 1 introduced him into Masonic life and later he became a member of St. Omer Commandery, Knights Templar, Iowa Chapter No. 1, RAM, Zerubbabel Council, Zarepath Consistery, Kaaba Temple of the Mystic Shrine, Blackmar Chapter, Eastern Star and Palestine Shrine W. S. of J.
He was a member of the WOW and a Hawkeye Native and held membership in the Burlington Golf Club, the Burlington Launch Club, and the Cathage Lake Club.
The influence of two women had its molding effect on the kindly and broad outlook that George C. Boesch had on life. One, Mrs. John Boesch, who was Miss Sarah Buhrmaster, when she married John Boessch on May 16, 1878, gave a mother’s devoted care to the eleven-year-old boy that greeted her when she came into his home. Her influence guided him then and in all his later years he always referred to her as “Mother” and gave her the devotion of a loving son.
Twenty years ago George C. Boesch married Lenora Josephine Heins of Jordan, Minn. Three children, Melbourne H. Boesch, Mrs. Edward Kinsloe, and Miss Marjorie Boesch came to this home and as they grew into youth it became one of the brightest spots in the city for Burlington young people.
He is survived by his wife, his children, two nieces, and one nephew.