Timothy Charles Boursaw

Timothy Charles Boursaw, 69, of Traverse City, passed away on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.

Timothy, known to friends and family as Tim, was born on Feb. 29, 1952, in Traverse City, MI, to Alice Jane (Draper) Boursaw and the late Tug Thomas Boursaw. He attended Old Mission Peninsula School and graduated from Traverse City Senior High School (now Traverse City Central High School) in 1970.

He first spotted his soulmate, Jane Louise (Johnson) Boursaw, at the Old Mission General Store in the summer of 1979. After living together for 14 years, they were married on Dec. 31, 1993, and built a log cabin on the Old Mission Peninsula with the help of Tim's dad Tug and lifelong friend Jon Andrus. Tim and Jane have two kids, Will and Marissa, and they were thrilled to watch them grow up on the same Peninsula where they were born and raised.

Tim spent much of his life finding and restoring British sports cars, including MGs, Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, Aston Martins and Jaguars, with the occasional Lotus (also British), Abarth (Italian) and others thrown in. After restoration, some of these cars were purchased by Brits and returned back to their homeland.

"I've never considered myself a collector or a dealer or anything in between," Tim once said. "I've always felt that I'm on a rescue mission, a race against rust, so to speak, to find and pass on the elegant, the weird, and the obscure."

In his early years, Tim worked during the summer months on Far Out Farms at the end of the Old Mission Peninsula. However, being averse to cold and snowy weather, he would escape to the Caribbean in the winter, camping on St. Thomas, St. Lucia, St. John and Tortola, among others.

Tim was a gifted guitarist who loved to play Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" every Fourth of July (plugged in, on ten, of course). Along with Hendrix, some of his favorite bands and musicians included AC/DC, Tom Waits, Junior Brown, George Jones, Jeff Beck, Leonard Cohen, Pat Metheny and many others.

Tim and Jane, both lifelong natives of the Old Mission Peninsula, started publishing a reader-supported online newspaper, Old Mission Gazette, in 2015. Locals would often see them on their daily drive around the Peninsula, scouting out stories and photos for the Gazette and talking to folks about Peninsula history. Tim's great-great-uncle, John Baptiste Boursaw, born in 1850, was the first mail-carrier between the Old Mission Peninsula and Mackinac, traveling much of the route by foot or canoe.

Tim endured a number of near-death health issues during the past 20 years, including a liver transplant in 2003, kidney issues, and three back-to-back emergency surgeries for an abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2017. Tim and Jane logged thousands of miles back and forth to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, and they'd do it all again so he could watch his kids grow into the amazing adults they've become.
Tim was an avid follower of all things J.R.R. Tolkien, both the "Lord of the Rings" books and movies. On his last day on earth, he said to make sure and tell all his friends and family that when it's their time to go, he'll be waiting for them at the Prancing Pony in Bree. "I do believe it's time for another adventure," he said.
Tim is survived by his wife, Jane Louise (Johnson) Boursaw; his kids William James Boursaw and Marissa Jane Boursaw; his mom, Alice Jane (Draper) Boursaw; uncle Bryce Boursaw; aunt and uncle Cathy and George Boursaw; sister Sherie Boursaw; brother Tee Boursaw and his partner Patrick Russell; brother and sister-in-law Terry and Jane (Beutler) Boursaw; nephew Garrett Boursaw; niece Abigail Boursaw; best friend Mark Kelly, and many other friends and family.

Tim was preceded in death by his dad, Tug Thomas Boursaw, and his sister, Roxanne Boursaw.
A celebration of Tim's life will take place this summer at Bowers Harbor Park on the Old Mission Peninsula. Stay tuned to Old Mission Gazette (oldmission.net) for more info.

Tim asked that memorial contributions be made in his name to Old Mission Gazette, to help further Jane's work on the Gazette and local journalism. Contributions may be mailed to Old Mission Gazette, P.O. Box 14, Old Mission, MI, 49673; or online at oldmission.net/donate.

Many thanks to Tim's team of doctors at U of M Hospital for saving his life so many times over the years, as well as the anonymous family who donated their loved one's liver, giving Tim an extra 20 years so he could watch his kids grow up.