Belmont, NY - Robert (Bob) D. Boyer, 87, of 51 Willets Avenue, Belmont, NY passed away on Friday, October 17, 2014, at the home of his daughter in Chicago, IL. He was born on July 22, 1927 in Akron, Ohio the son of the late George and Rachel Margaret (Noaker) Boyer. In 1950 Bob married Lois Sterneman and in 1973 he married Angelina Fantauzzo who predeceased him in 1997.
Bob graduated from Academy High School in Erie, PA in January 1946. In April 1946 he enlisted into the U.S. Army Air Corps and served for three years as a photographer and photo lab technician in Japan during the occupation. Bob graduated from St. Paul Bible College in 1952 earned a bachelor’s degree from Houghton College in 1954 and received a master's degree from SUNY at Geneseo in 1961. He taught at Belfast Central School from 1958 to 1961 and at Belmont Central School from 1961 to until he retired in 1985. He owned and operated Boyer Welding in Belmont, where he did custom welding and metal work until 2008. For twenty years he also did specialty soldering and silver brazing for Dresser-Rand Corporation in Wellsville.
Bob was a member of the National Education Association, the National Council of the Teachers of English, the American Welding Society, the Herbert Delong American Legion Post #808 in Belmont, the Wellsville Elks Lodge # 2530 and the Allegany County Bird Club. He was a faithful member of the Belmont United Methodist Church and loved to worship God with his friends. He also attended the Wellsville United Methodist Church and the Genesis Bible Church in Scio. In 2006 Bob was named “Citizen of the Year” by the Belmont Betterment Association for his work in helping restore the Park Circle Fountain and other activities to beautify the community.
Bob and his wife Angie were avid boaters. Their summer weekends and vacations for thirty years were spent cruising the canals, rivers, and lakes of New York and Lower Canada in a cabin cruiser. They crossed Lake Ontario many times and cruised as far north as Ottawa and Montreal and as far south on the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty. One month-long summer trip involved negotiating seventy-three locks, including all of the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Bob was a life member and past vice-commodore of the Montour Falls Yacht Club. In recent years, he made numerous trips to the Southwest were he photographed most of the major Native American ruins in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and southern Colorado.
He is survived by one daughter, Susan (David) Young of Chicago, IL two stepchildren, Gena (Darrell) Benjamin of Cameron Mills, NY and Anthony Fantauzzo of Belmont, a sister, Rachel (the Rev. Clarence) Hager of Foley, AL, a brother, Donald (Priscilla) Boyer of Marietta, GA, nine grandchildren, Sean (Kristy) Boyer, Melanie (Matthew) Zengerle, Abby Boyer, Aubrey (Timothy) Emery, Courtney (Ron) Fish, Ashley Hess, Chad (Sara) Warner, Justin (Amanda) Warner and Shannon Benjamin, six great grandchildren and several nieces & nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife, his son, Robert who died in 2001 and a brother, Paul who died in 2008.
Friends are invited to call on Friday October 24, from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home Inc. 17 Schuyler Street in Belmont. The funeral will be Saturday, October 25, at 10:00 am at the Genesis Bible Church in Scio with Rev. Mark Chamberlain and his brother-in-laws, Rev. Clarence Hager and Rev. Paul Sterneman presiding. Burial with military honors will follow in Forest Hills Cemetery in Belmont. The family suggests memorial donations be made to the Houghton College Student Scholarship Fund, Office of Advancement, PO Box 128 Houghton, NY 14744 - http://www.houghton.edu/makeagift or Wycliffe Bible Translators, P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862 "Project" specifying -Americas Group #990655 for 44410P74554 Culina NT. This fund is assisting with publishing the New Testament in Peru - https://www.wycliffe.org/
To leave online condolences, please visit www.embserfuneralhome.com.
