Paul W. Boen

Paul Woodrow Boen, 85, of Alvin, passed away at 12:35 a.m. Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at V.A. Illiana Health Care Systems in Danville. Paul was born on August 9, 1920 in Georgetown, Illinois, the son of Ira and Elizabeth (Underwood) Boen. He married Ina Dancy on February 22, 1947 in Bismarck. They were married for seventeen years and had two sons- Larry Boen of Danville and Ed Boen of East Helena, Montana. She preceded him in death on November 17, 1964. He then married Mary Belle Davis on January 30, 1965 in Danville. They were married for 40 years and had one daughter- Jodie Lynn Boen of Danville. Mary preceded her in death on April 2, 2005. He is also survived by his one brother- Ray (Amy) Boen of Alvin; one sister- Doris Dode Wines of Racine, Wisconsin; three grandchildren- Ashley Boen of Fernandina Beach, Florida, Andy Boen of Fernandina Beach, Florida, and Abbey (Mike) Drury of Yulee, Florida; two great- grandchildren- Ashlyn Boen of Fernandina Beach, Florida and Rayce Drury of Yulee, Florida; one special friend- Angela Ryan of Danville; one step-son- Tim (Sally) Sanders of Danville; two step-daughters- Linda (John) Smith of Danville and Lisa Craghead of Champaign; four step-grandchildren- Ryan (April) Smith of Bismarck, Jason Smith of Ogden, Sam Sanders and David Sanders both of Danville; one step-great-grandchild- Hannah Smith of Bismarck. His parents, two wives, three brothers, and one sister preceded him in death. Paul lived on a farm in Vermilion County most of his life as a farmer. When he was a young man, he sheared sheep. He worked at Shaw Ready mix for 25 years as a dispatcher. Paul joined the United States Army and served during WWII. He was a combat soldier in WWII and served four campaigns in Australia, New Guinea, and the Admiralty Islands. He also served two campaigns in the Philippines. While serving in the army he watched them sign the peace treaty on the ship he was on. He was among the first wave of soldiers to go ashore in Yokahama and marched to Tokyo by the second day. Paul spent 2 years in the islands. He received several medals will serving there, but was most proud of his combat infantry rifleman badge. Paul was very patriotic and he loved to see people displaying their American flags. He was a member of the VFW post #728. He enjoyed gardening, livestock, and farming. A celebration of the life of Paul Woodrow Boen will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, February 17, 2006 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Danville. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday and 1-2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Gundy Cemetery in Bismarck. Memorials may be made to the Disabled Veterans or to the American Cancer Society.