Jesse C. BOGGS, Sr., age 95, of Parma, Ohio, passed away on the morning of Saturday, December 4, 2021 at Maplewood Senior Living in Twinsburg, Ohio. Jesse had been battling Parkinson’s Disease and Skin Cancer which recently surfaced in his bladder. The bladder cancer moved too quickly, and he lost his ability to fight it only two weeks after settling in at Maplewood. He passed quickly and peacefully.
Jesse was born in Lyra, Ohio just east of Portsmouth on April 28, 1926. He was the third son of five boys born to Grace Roe Boggs and Everett Boggs. He was a U.S. Army Veteran during the Korean War. He moved to Cleveland, OH in the 1930s and met his little Italian wife, Josephine, who lived next door to him near Little Italy. Josephine’s parents adored him. Especially her father Salvatore. Josephine was enamored with Jesse’s good looks and always referred to him as “Van Johnson”. Married at Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy, they were then married for twenty-eight years. He had several jobs in the early years in Cleveland, mostly in sales with Carling’s Black Label Beer Company and an insurance company before he commenced his career driving for Maple Heights Transit and then Brecksville Transit. He loved to drive and share his family with his work family on weekend outings in the country or company picnics. It was always great fun when he chaired the picnic, and his children could see all the fun prizes for the games before the events.
Jesse loved to golf and watch it on television. He also loved to garden extensively and travel. He even made it over to Italy to meet several of his in-laws. He, of course, loved Italian food and being around all his grandchildren over the years as the family grew. A great lover of sweets, cherry cordials and circus peanut soft and chewy candy were some of his favorites. His children loved to cook and bake for him whether it was spinach bread, cavatelli, eggplant or Italian cookies; and he loved the many dinners in restaurants throughout the Cleveland area with his children. Especially if they served a good hot stuffed pepper dish. Grandpa or Poppa, as he was called, loved to spend Sundays at his daughter Charlotte’s house and eat her unbelievable cooking. You would never know that his Heinz 57 background was mostly English and Cherokee Indian. He was adopted into Josephine’s family at marriage, and Italian he would be forever, even with his Southern Draw, as Josephine called it.
Jesse was a loving, kind, and outgoing Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather and Great-Great Grandfather, known to many as just “Mr. Boggs”. Jesse along with his former wife Josephine C. Bottiglieri Boggs (deceased) was father to Jesse C. Boggs, Jr. (Oksana Sue), Samuel P. Boggs (Marie nee Lombardo), Celeste Baxa, Charlotte Perz and Benita Nowak; Grandfather to Scott Boggs (Leigh Ann nee Nowak), Christopher Boggs (Amanda nee Bendall), Matthew Boggs, Amanda Boggs Domzalski (Andy), Deana Kec Wolkov, William Kec (Lindsey Wald), Fred Perz (Samantha nee Freeman), Mario Perz (Jennifer), Anthony Perz (Holly nee Quinones), and Nicole Harrison (Joseph Harrison); Great Grandfather to nineteen and Great-Great Grandfather to three; and brother to Raymond Boggs, Ken Boggs, Ivan Boggs and Lavon Boggs (all deceased).
The family would like to thank Maplewood Senior Living staff for the kind and gentle care they provided to Jesse.
The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, December 8, at The Zabor Funeral Home, 5680 Pearl Rd. (between Ridge & Snow Roads) Parma, OH 44129. A Funeral Service in memory of Jesse will be held at the funeral home, 10:00 a.m. Thursday, December 9. Interment, Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, Rittman, OH.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org/) or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/donate). Please offer condolences at https://zaborfh.com.
Messages of Condolence
Im so sorry for your loss& he was a super good friend. For 13 years. I met him in 2008, taking care of his friend Marie at Greenbriar nursing home.l will truly miss him
God be with you Jess, say hi to Jesus, Matt& Bill