Maurice Bolmer

TRAVERSE CITY — Maurice Theodoret Bolmer Jr. loved life and lived it in many different spheres. He was a husband, a father, a brother, a mentor, the family patriarch, a practical joker, a jock and a fun co-conspirator. He was so happy on March 16 when he celebrated his 90th birthday at Effie's in Leland. He reveled with a large party of friends and family. Effie's became Maury's home when he and his wife, Nonny, moved there in the fall of 2008. Maury died April 25, 2012, after a stroke.Maury, the oldest of six children, was born March 16, 1922, and was raised in Flushing, N.Y. His mother died when he was eight, and he became the calm and fun center of his family's life. After high school, he matriculated to Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. He lived with his mother's sister and her husband, a physics professor, Uncle Mac Gordon, who inspired Maury to earn a B.S. in physical engineering. He always remained close to Lafayette, grateful for all it had given him; he served on various committees, eventually as a trustee. When he graduated in 1943 Maury entered the Officer's Candidate School, where he joined the 832nd Signal Service Battalion as a lieutenant. He went to the Pacific on March 7, 1944, serving in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, South Philippines and Luzon. To the dismay of some of his children, he had his fill of camping during his time in the South Pacific. He returned to the United States on April 11, 1946. He received four medals, a bronze star and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain. Maury started his working life early by working at the Hock's dairy farm in Westchester, N.Y., where his mother liked to horseback ride. He worked two summers as a "sandhog" in caisson #11 and caisson #14 of the Croton Aqueduct that would bring water to New York City.After the war Maury took a job with Halowax as a traveling salesman. He loved selling and was successful because he enjoyed getting the right product sold to the right company. Long after he had become an executive, he still considered himself a salesman, requesting his children list it as his occupation on school forms. He had a gift for finding new uses for petrochemicals and was a member of the Plastic Pioneers. In 1953 Maury joined the Bakelite Division of Union Carbide and Carbon Corp. With the corporation reorganized to become Union Carbide, in 1958, Maury moved to the Plastics Division in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1964 he was transferred to Union Carbide headquarters in New York City as the department manager for New Product Development. In 1967 he was promoted to vice-president for marketing and sales. Maury and Nancy "Nonny" Starrett were married on Jan. 7, 1950. Mickey and Amy were born in Fair Lawn, N.J. Ward was born in Wethersfield, Conn., and Paul in Shaker Heights, Ohio. A 1955 visit with Nonny's Uncle Paul and Aunt Vi Starrett began the family's love affair with Leland. In 1963 they purchased the cottage on Juniper Trail. In 1964 after their first summer in their home on Lake Leelanau, the family moved "for winters" to Ridgewood, N.J.Maury enjoyed any type of competition. He played basketball, baseball, football, tennis, golf, hockey and paddle tennis. For many years, he was an "athletic" member at the New York Athletic Club. He played cards and board games with the same tenacity. His skill at basketball earned him a place on the teams at Flushing High School and St. Georges Episcopal Church (losing his two front teeth along the way). He was a four-year varsity player on the Lafayette College Basketball Team. Maury felt competition was a great way to learn how to overcome adversity with hard work and to accept failure with dignity. He especially enjoyed golfing at the Ridgewood and Leland Country Club Clubs, eventually serving on the greens committee at Leland. Maury and Nonny's favorite reason to gather friends was their huge Kentucky Derby Party.Maury began a close and lifelong relationship with the Episcopal Church when he was an acolyte at St. George's Episcopal Church in Flushing. When Maury and his family moved to Ridgewood, he re-connected with Christ Church and worked hard helping the church become sound financially. He also worked with the Dioceses of Newark. He was so proud when the Christ Church Rector, Richard Schimpfky, became Bishop of the Dioceses of Camino Real. Maury helped with St. Peters, the summer Episcopal Chapel in Leland, and he was an active participant in the parish at Grace Episcopal Church in Traverse City. A summer day for Maury might see him up early for a game of golf with Dr. Hatcher, Dr. Badgely and Mr. McCrae. Maybe it would be to meet with his fellow Gleaners to pick fruit after the farmers had harvested their fields and then make strawberry, cherry, blueberry and apricot jam to share with family and friends. Then the evening ritual would begin with a shave and a swim. Hanging his towel on the dock pole, and then with a "Woooof" that echoed up and down the bay, Maury would belly flop into the cold lake water to bathe. You never knew if his old swimming suit would stay up! Back up on the dock he would take down and fold Old Glory and head in for the next act. Act two would be an evening martini and grilling duties while the far shore lit up with the sunset. Maury was the barbecue chef at the cottage ("Toasted bun?") for almost 50 years. Other favorite activities included water skiing (yeah water clydes), sometimes while smoking a cigar(!), and reading/snoozing in his hammock between the trees looking south over Lake Leelanau. On Sundays, the Community Sing at the Country Club was a must. If you were in luck the dinner before would be roast rock. Dad liked to request and sing "Bingo." He enjoyed the accompanying hand claps.The last 20 years of his life were spent in Northwestern Michigan, where he and Nonny lived in their condominium on Traverse City's peninsula and in their cottage in Leland. As Maury slowed down and cut back on his physical activities, he found a new way to engage in life. He enrolled as a student at Northwestern Michigan College, where they called him Mo. He took more than 30 courses, maintaining a 3.9 average at the age of 83. History and philosophy professors Jim Press and David Terrell appreciated having him in their classes; he was a lively first person source (for example, WWII) and ready to bring a subject to life with authority. While at NMC he also developed an intense interest in the Civil War. He read extensively about this conflict using historical and first person materials until his stroke. He is survived by Mickey and Sally Bolmer and their daughter, Sarah, Amy Bolmer, Ward and Connie Bolmer, Paul and Karen Bolmer and their children, Mikala, Lanier and Theodoret; his sister, Rachel; brother, Stephen (whom he called Tommy); and sister, Janet. Maury was preceded in death by his loving wife, Nonny; and his sisters, Sally and Peggy Ann. Maury loved having family and friends gather as often as possible! He ended his calls with a "Give them all a big hug for me."The family would also like to recognize and thank the staff at Effie's. The kindness and respect they showed Maury made it his home. Maury's friends and care givers at Effie's smile and speak about him as warm hearted and thankful for their efforts.Maury will be missed. His love of life will never be forgotten. There will be a memorial service at Grace Episcopal Church Saturday, May 5, at 1 p.m. This will be followed by a light luncheon at the Traverse City Country Club. Maury's children hope that many will come and that others with get in touch with them to share their Maury memories. Rather than flowers, please consider making a donation to ShareCare of Leelanau, Inc., 7401 E. Duck Lake Road, Ste. 600, Lake Leelanau, MI 49653 (www.sharecareleelanau.org); Grace Episcopal Church of Traverse City Foundation, 341 Washington Street, Traverse City, MI 49684; or The Leelanau Conservancy, PO Box 1007, Leland, MI 49654 Please share thoughts with the family at Maury's online guestbook at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.The family is being served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.