Boggses served side by side
JEFFERSON TWP — When recounting early memories of her husband George, Mary "Fran" Boggs describes an enterprising boy with lots of black hair.
"He used to ride his bicycle over to our house and sell pins and needles," said the former Fran Burtner, who was 9 years old when she moved to a neighboring farm in Jefferson Township.
"He used to walk around with a little bag of bolts and jolts that he sold. Then he got a bicycle, and he came around oftener."
At that young age, George said he barely noticed his now wife. Although the two are 28 days apart, George was better acquainted with one of her brothers, since the two were classmates at school.
"I was in the fourth grade, and she was in the sixth because I flunked second grade and she skipped it," said George, now 85.
But a lack of notice at age 9 evolved to a marriage proposal later, when Fran as a teenager caught his attention.
"When I proposed to her, we were sitting on the front porch at her farm house," George said. "Her brother Russell and a neighbor, Willis Gates, were under the porch (eavesdropping)."
Initially, the two corresponded while George served as a pilot in the Navy during World War II. They married when he returned home, bringing with him fabric he got for 35 cents a yard in China. Within a few days, Fran's sister-in-law Mary Burtner would turn the creamy silk into an elegant wedding dress. Fran wore the dress May 20, 1946, during vows at Thorn Creek Methodist Church.
Although they eventually traveled far from that site, the couple never strayed far from their faith.
Along with various jobs and George's subsequent military service during the Korean War, the Boggses spent 34 years working for Mission Aviation Fellowship, an organization that uses aircraft to support religious and humanitarian efforts in remote parts of the world. For much of their service, they lived in New Guinea, the Philippines and Borneo.George describes working as airfield manager and pilot, always with Fran by his side — even during flight time."I'd give her my position report all the time: every half-hour," George said of the frequent radio contact."Except when he'd land and forget," she noted.Describing themselves as already compatible, the couple said living in remote locations likely made them even closer."We didn't have anybody else," Fran said. "There wasn't anybody else to love."After retiring to Emlenton and eventually to Concordia Lutheran Ministries on Marwood Road, Fran says it's easier now to keep track of George, who often goes wandering the Haven II halls to socialize with neighbors.Just as he returned safely for many years in his aircraft, George now returns to their cozy apartment, filled with artifacts from their travels."She's the best wife I got," he said.The Boggses have four children, Beverly Sasse of Butler, Barton Boggs of Nebraska, Brenda Hall of Virginia and Beth Ann Jones of Colorado. They also have 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
