John F. Boggins

The Honorable Judge John F. Boggins (retired) passed away on Tuesday, August 30th after a long illness. He was the son of John V. and Mary Alice (Murray) Boggins, both deceased. He was preceded in death by his beloved and lovely wife Dottie, his brother, Joseph C. Boggins, his nephew police officer Brian Roshong, and by brothers-in-law David Roshong and John Mueller.

He is survived by his children, John “Jack” V. Boggins (Canton/Akron) (Beth), Michael X. Boggins (Roanoke, VA), Rebecca A. Jandrisevits (Pinehurst, NC) (Gary), his granddaughters Sarah (Zach) and Abigail Boggins, his sisters Mary Mueller and Theresa Roshong, and many nieces and nephews.

John, a graduate of Kent State and The Ohio State University School of Law, had a long and distinguished career. He practiced law from 1958 until 1993. He served as a Judge of the General Division of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas from 1993 to 2001, and as Presiding Judge in 1998. He then served as Judge of the Fifth District Court of Appeals for the State of Ohio from 2001 until his retirement in 2007.

Beyond his professional accolades, perhaps his most enduring successes were those as an outstanding father and grandfather. As all from his generation strove to accomplish, he was determined to help his children and grandchildren navigate life with less difficulty than did his family with its humble beginnings. He did so with an extraordinarily generous spirit as he always asked, “What can I do to help?” John was a kind, fair man who was an earthly guardian angel to those who knew him. He was deeply loved by family, friends, and clients and will be dearly missed.

Our family would also like to pass along our sincere thanks to Bethany Nursing Home for taking exceptionally good care of John and for always going the “extra mile” in facilitating communication—even in the midst of the pandemic.

A Mass of Christian burial in honor of his life will be held at Christ the Servant Parish (Our Lady of Peace) on September 16th at 11:00 a.m.

Burial will be at St John’s Cemetery in Canton.