- Date Of Birth: December 16, 1927
- Date Of Death: August 11, 2016
- State: Idaho
Esther Mae Bosch, beloved wife of the late M. Russell Bosch (Russ), mother, grandmother and great grandmother, passed away at the age of 88 peacefully at home on Thursday, August 11th, with her loving daughter, Connie, by her side. Esther was born to the late Mary and Elmer Mathews on December 16, 1927, in Grandview, Idaho. Esther graduated from Ocosta High School in Westport, Washington in 1945 after attending Boise High School. She was the valedictorian of her class. She met Russ in May of 1946 and they were married on August 20th of that very same year. She enrolled in beauty school where she also worked to pay for her tuition. Following beauty school, she worked tirelessly as a homemaker caring for her family. She was an excellent seamstress and sewed clothing for her girls. Her daughters enjoyed choosing “hard” patterns for her to make, which she sewed with great ease. She made costumes, school clothes and formal gowns for her girls. Esther was an avid reader and loved working crossword and jigsaw puzzles to keep her mind sharp. She took Latin in school and was very good with word origins. She and Russ encouraged their daughters to continue their education beyond high school. She was an excellent baker and her family loved the bread, rolls and desserts she made. She also canned food and cooked wild birds, game and fish that Russ brought home after hunting or fishing. She loved making holiday dinners for her family and her company and cooking will be greatly missed by her family.
Esther loved to talk about her upbringing and family members. She had a great memory and shared many stories throughout the years about her brothers and sisters. Since her father died when she was eight years old and she was the second youngest child of fifteen, her brothers and sisters were instrumental in raising her. Esther carried that same love and devotion to her own family. Her youngest daughter, Connie, was born on her 24th birthday and she liked to say she got a box of chocolates and Connie for her 24th birthday.
Russ was in the Navy for 21 years so the family lived where he was stationed throughout his career including Portland, Oregon; Butte, Montana; Guantanamo, Cuba and Great Lakes, Illinois. Esther and her daughters, Kathy and Connie, were evacuated in October 1962 from Guantanamo due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Russ remained on base until the Crisis was resolved. He then transferred to Great Lakes and the family lived there until he retired in 1964. They then returned to Boise where they lived the remainder of their lives.
Esther and Russ had four children: twin girls Nancy and Naomi, Kathy and Connie. She and Russ endured heartbreak when Naomi died shortly after birth and Nancy passed away at age 4 during heart surgery. Esther is survived by her daughters, Kathy Steinbach (Boise) and Connie Morgan (Boise); grandson Jason R. Morgan, his wife Sahar Bina and their children Mia (7), Jack (4), and Elle (1 week) (Beverly Hills, CA); grandson Robert D. Steinbach, his wife, Corrina, and their children Ryan (8) and Lucy (5) (Nampa). She has many loving nieces and nephews whom she kept in contact with throughout the years. Esther is preceded in death by her parents (Mary and Elmer); beloved husband, Russ, and her daughters Nancy and Naomi; seven brothers (Ralph, Jesse, Carl, Francis, Neil, Leonard and Milton) and seven sisters (Emma, Evelyne, Dorothy, Ruth, Elinor, Charlotte and Shirley).
Esther’s family is grateful for all the years they had her in their lives and she is already missed.
