- Date Of Birth: May 11, 1921
- Date Of Death: September 2, 2010
- State: Michigan
BOVEN, Thomas Henry, Kalamazoo. Tom was called to his heavenly home on September 2, 2010. He was born in Denver, Colorado on May 11, 1921, the son of Henry and Grace VanDam Boven. Tom grew up in a large family of brothers and sisters because when both of his parents died when he was a child, he was raised, along with their own children, by Frank and Anna Boven in Comstock.
During World War II, Tom served in the Navy in the South Pacific on the destroyer, USS Bennion. Before he left to serve his country, he had married Katie Terpstra. Shortly after returning from the war, they settled in the Milwood area, living there until they moved to Park Village Pines in 2006. Tom worked at the Fisher Body Stamping Plant from 1966 until he retired in 1984. He also was employed at Taylor Produce and Kalamazoo Laundry. After retirement, Tom and Katie enjoyed spending the winters in Panama City Beach, Florida. Tom was a member of Milwood Christian Reformed Church.
Tom is survived by Katie, the love of his life for 68 years, as well as his sons, Thomas L. Carol Boven and James JoAnn Boven. Also surviving are: five grandchildren Andrea Scott Nelson, Sara Mike Blackford, Mike Amy Boven, Beth Boven and David Beth Boven; five great-grandchildren, Grace and Ian Nelson, Katie Blackford, James Boven and Molly Boven; and a sister, Betty Jean Timmerman. Preceding him in death were his siblings, Harm VanDam, Jennie Dykstra, Thomas F. Boven, Margaret Boven, Eleanor Boven, and Grace DeVries.
