Richard Bohmer

How it began... Rich’s early life was a little rough as when living in New York City at ages 10 through 11 he lost both parents due to heart disease. His older brother, Donald and his wife, Jane, took on the responsibility of raising him and two other brothers and off they went to a country town in western Pennsylvania to a very different life. Because of grading differences between the two states, the Pennsylvania school system put him a year ahead and he graduated at the age of 16. As there was no opportunity for college and employment was very limited, Rich decided to return to his roots in NYC and at the age of almost 17 was completely independent, renting a furnished room in the Bronx and enjoying the many well-paying employment opportunities that the city offered. He eventually graduated to apartment living with one of his brothers and he thought he was living the dream, especially when he met his future wife, Roseann in a Five and Ten in the Bronx; a song was actually written about this situation, but credit can't be taken as it was before Rich and Roseann met. A new reality hit Rich when his best friend was drafted in 1965 and he found that his draft card had the same 1A marking. Essentially, this meant that the government could call your number at any moment. With the Vietnam War ramping up and after counseling with his brothers, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1965 and honorably served as a radar technician for four years. Rich’s tenure in the USAF (1965-1969) was during the Vietnam War and although his squadron was deployed to Vietnam, he was at that time already deployed to Korea installing Radar Systems for the Korean Air Force and was deferred from this assignment. Feeling very blessed that he may have literally dodged a bullet, when returning from Korea, Rich and Roseann decided to get married a year later. His last duty station was to Alaska to a remote Radar facility inside the Arctic Circle until his discharge in April of 1969. Rich and Roseann started their life together in a Bronx apartment and moved to New Jersey shortly after the birth of their first son, Bill. While living in NJ, they were blessed with two more children; their son, Greg and their daughter, Wendy (his "Twink"). They lived mostly in southern NJ in the Philly Metro area and became Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers sports fans, although the NY Mets were never far from their hearts. When Greg and Wendy moved to the Northern Virginia area, met their spouses, and started raising their own families, Northern Virginia became a common denominator. Bill eventually moved down to Virginia and met his spouse and they eventually settled in West Virginia. Rich was very proud of all his children and the lives they created for their families. These events motivated Rich and Roseann to move to Virginia after Rich was able to obtain a job transfer and allowed them to be very active grandparents in the lives of their 8 Grandchildren: Brycen, Giuliana, Caprice, Brody, Ethan, Owen, DevotaRose, and Audrey - all of whom he loved dearly. Rich’s career covered various positions in the communications industry over 40 years supporting State, Local and Federal Law Enforcement and he presented at a number of National Law Enforcement conferences as a subject matter expert. His working career included being a licensed radio technician, field engineer, sales engineer, software product support engineer, system integration specialist and Industry consultant. In this last role he helped navigate his customers in the complex process of transition from Analog to Digital Technology. He retired in 2009 and had enjoyed 15 years of a peaceful retirement with his family. Rich was an Honorary Life member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the American Legion Post 1799 in Haymarket. He was active in his church and served as a Eucharistic Minister and CCD teacher. He was part of a team that collected food from supermarkets and delivered it to the local food pantries. He was very proud of his country and his message to his fellow citizens is that learning a skill and hard work can bring your own version of the American Dream into reality...it did for him. Rich is predeceased by his parents, William and Mary Bohmer, and his five brothers, Donald, Jack, William, Peter, and Gregory. He is also predeceased by all his known Aunts and Uncles: John and Jean Cullen, Pete and Jean Cullen, Tom and Ann McLean; and his first cousins, Tom Cullen, Tom McLean, Joann McLean, and John McLean. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Roseann and their three children: sons, William and his wife Marcey, Gregory and his wife Pam and their daughter, Wendy Roche and her husband Matthew. Rich is also survived by his niece, Carol Entwistle, and his nephews, David Bohmer, Robert Bohmer, Joseph Bohmer, Jeffrey Bohmer and James Bohmer and their families. He is also survived by his cousins, Jack Cullen and Brian Cullen. "To my family: do not mourn as God has granted me a great life and we will be together again in God’s Holy Kingdom." The family will receive guests at Pierce Funeral Home on Tuesday, December 10 from 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at All Saints Catholic Church on Wednesday, December 11 at 11:30 AM, followed by a graveside service with military honors at Quantico National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Rich's name to Catholic Charities or Catholic Relief Services.

Richard Bohmer

August 11, 1946 - November 29, 2024