Edward Keith Boosembark lost his long battle with prostate cancer on Jan. 15, 2009, with his wife by his side. Ed was born June 28, 1952, in Waco, Texas, the son of Kathleen and Franklin Boosembark. Ed’s father was in the military, so he lived various places growing up. He graduated from Lompoc High School in 1970 and spent one year at The Citadel. Realizing that was not his forte, he finished college at the University of Oklahoma: ‘Go Sooners.’ After graduation from the University of Oklahoma, he and two other friends rode their bicycles from Oklahoma to Davis, and within a year he made this his home. He went to work with the family business and spent 26 years running Bernard’s Tire, Brake & Alignment, an automotive repair shop in Davis. Ed met his wife at Bernard’s and after a three-week courtship they married on Dec. 2, 1978 in Reno, NV. A year and a half later their daughter Nicole was born. Ed was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2000. He continued working and battling this cancer until 2006, when it became obvious that he needed to focus totally on fighting for his life, while spending as much quality time with his wife and daughter as he could, and so he retired. Ed loved retirement since he was able to spend all his time with his wife and Newfoundlands. He so enjoyed getting to know the dogs better. He also was able to take many trips to New York to spend time with his daughter. Unfortunately, Ed was never able to make his last trip planned to Ithaca, N.Y., in the fall of 2008. Ed loved to read, especially about history and the Civil War. He spent many years painting lead soldiers to replicate old battle scenes and are now prominently displayed in cabinets for his loved ones to look at and remember. He loved college football, especially Cornell Big Red and University of Oklahoma Sooners. Ed followed Cornell hockey and he once paid $100 to see a Cornell University/Harvard game where ‘fish are thrown by Cornellians out onto the ice because New Jersey smells.’ Horse racing was a favorite, and in 2007 he and his son-in-law (Michael Baker) spent an amazing weekend at the Saratoga race track, which was truly a highlight and a dream come true. Ed was able to give his one-and-only daughter away on her wedding day, which will always be cherished. A defining moment in his life was meeting back up with a fellow Citadel classmate Preston ‘Doc’ Mitchell. Ed was able to fly to Pound, Va., and spend time with him and ‘Doc’ also was able to visit here twice. The last time he was here, Ed was hospitalized suddenly hours before his arrival, and ‘Doc’ spent his whole visit there, which really brought Ed’s spirits up. Ed was able to see the whole Oklahoma game on Jan. 8 with his dear friends and neighbors who came to watch with him. Ed especially appreciated his neighbors popping in to visit and check on him. Ed never could accept the fact that his life would be cut short by cancer and he carried that around for eight years, all the while fighting it with every ounce of strength and bravery. Ed’s pride and joy was his daughter. Ed was so proud of the fine young woman she had grown to be and he so enjoyed her company. They spent an extended amount of time together the past month and a half and that made him so happy. He was always so worried that he would miss his wife and daughter so much when he was gone and that any future grandchildren would never get to know him. Ed had the ability to talk about any subject with anybody, which is quite a gift. Ed was a great man full of life. As a dear friend wrote on hearing of his passing, ‘Ed’s life was well-lived. He had a zest for life, a generous heart, he was caring and compassionate, he was honest, hard-working.’ Those words are what Ed was made of and he will be deeply missed. Married over 30 years, he will be greatly missed by his wife Margaret, daughter, Nicole Boosembark-Baker and Newfoundland Statler. Ed is also survived by his mother, Kathleen Boosembark, his brother William Boosembark and his sister Pamela Lovejoy. A celebration of his life will begin at 3 p.m. Jan. 24 at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Davis, CA, 640 Hawthorne Lane. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Edward K. Boosembark’s name to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (www.trfinc.org), P.O. Box 3387, Saratoga Spring, N.Y. 12866. Tags: 1974
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