Donald L. Boozell

Donald L. Boozell, 91, of Bloomington, passed away Monday, October 11, 2021 at Seasons Hospice, Naperville.

His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday, October 15, 2021 at Epiphany Catholic Church, Normal. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Normal with military rites accorded by the Bloomington-Normal American Legion Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Epiphany Catholic Church, Normal or the charity of the donor's choice.

He was born February 8, 1930 in Lansing, Michigan, a son of Virgil and Nellie Walsh Boozell. He married Theresa Hirchak on February 19, 1955 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Weller, Iowa. The marriage was celebrated by the groom's uncle, Father Vincent Walsh, a Maryknoll Missionary.

Don was a loving and devoted father and husband as well as grandfather and great-grandfather.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Theresa. Also surviving are two daughters, Marcia (Edward) Krivus and Nancy (Keith) Burklow of Batavia, IL; three sons, Mark (Karen) Boozell of Elmhurst, Gregory (Laurie Hogin) Boozell of rural Mahomet, and Stephen Boozell of Overland Park, KS; nine grandchildren, Stephanie (David Ruiz) and Michael Krivus, Emily (Chris) Mueller, Andrew, Alex and Aric Burklow, Marcus and Joseph (Olivia) Boozell and Charles Hogin Boozell; and two great-grandchildren, Juliet Burklow and Cecelia Mueller. He is also survived by one brother, Michael (Anne) Boozell of Wilmington, NC; a sister-in-law, Rosalie Boozell of Mason City, IA; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by an infant son; two sisters, Lorene Byrne and Patricia Francis; two brothers, Vincent W. Boozell and James L. Boozell, and his son in law, Keith Burklow.

Don attended school in Webster City, Iowa, where he graduated from Lincoln High School prior to enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1948. He served until 1952 on the USS Norton Sound, traveling from Lima, Peru to Christmas Island to the Aleutian Islands as a part of an experimental Navy missile program. In 2018, Don was privileged to travel to Washington, D.C. with his daughter, Nancy, as part of a Greater Peoria Honor Flight.

After graduating from the American Institute of Business with a degree in accounting, he worked for the Iowa Farm Bureau Service Company in Des Moines which merged with Illinois FS Services in 1962. He then transferred to their Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington. The company later changed its name to Growmark, Inc. He was Manager of the Supply and Distribution Division when he retired from Growmark after 31 years of service. Don and a partner then started and managed B & F Trading Company Inc. for 10 years prior to the sale of same.

Don was a longtime member of Epiphany Catholic Church in Normal, the Bloomington Knights of Columbus and the Normal American Legion. He had two great-great-great grandfathers who served in the American Revolutionary War.

He was a lifelong Catholic, enjoyed playing cards, fishing, hunting, reading, golf, playing pool, genealogy, and travel. Visiting and being with family members was always a high priority for Don.