In Memory of Jeff Boze

In memory of Jeff Boze

Photo by Rick Stieve

Early this morning, Jeff Boze was released from his earthly body and gained his new heavenly body.  For those of us who have known Jeff through the years, we have seen a Mr. Indiana body builder turn to an emaciated helpless form.  The disease is called Huntington’s Cholera; the result was heartache to all who watched this strong body degenerate.  Jeff was the first man to teach our sons to use weights and build their bodies.  They loved to go to the gym with him and follow his suggestions and programs.  They looked up to him and thought he was the strongest man in the world at that time.

Jeff was our neighbor for forty years.  I would sit on our back porch and hear melodic tunes floating through the air.  He was an accomplished pianist and songwriter.  These were times of blessing to hear his fingers dance on the keyboard and his creative mind produce beautiful song lyrics.  He loved to write songs and was so successful that he went to Hollywood many times to work on songs for movies such as “Somewhere in Time”.  Other great pianist like Roger Williams, who was his friend, appreciated his gift.

Jeff loved the Lord loudly.  He was like a lighthouse.  He stood strong and offered the gospel to anyone who would listen.  He walked out his faith by helping those in need as well as traveling with Lester Sumrall to help the” Feed the Hungry” program.  Huntington’s could not destroy Jeff’s spirit or his faith.  Until the end, he loved God and wanted to pray with people.

His sense of humor and timing of saying a phrase kept us all laughing.  My favorite phrase was he would tell Pixie, his wife, and I that we were “tralalaling our way to failure.”  He could remember every star, movie, and director.  He could recite these details and lines from the scripts until a few short years ago.  He loved the movie theater world and had close friends in the industry.

Jeff worked with Lester Maddox and George Wallace in their political movements.  He loved supporting the Independent Party and embraced their platforms with the same vigor he lived his life.

Jeff’s two little girls were his joy.  Emily and Anna loved looking for “prizes” in his pockets when he would return from the Silhouette Health Spa, which he owned and operated.  Pixie was his greatest supporter and cheerleader.  She too embraced God and worked to spread God’s word and love to others.  Jeff was a unique individual that will be missed by all who knew and loved him.  However, we rejoice that he is at last free from the disease that imprisoned his body.  He can now write songs of rejoicing with his Lord and Savior.

 

Photo from Miami , Florida newspaper