William Boehm

William Boehm, 68, Mandan, died April 18, 2017, at Sanford Health, Bismarck. The Prayer and Memory Service will be Thursday, April 20, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and the Celebration of Life Service will be Friday, April 21, at 1:00 pm, both services will be held at the Mandan Church of the Nazarene, 4209 Old Red Trail, Mandan. William Joe Boehm (Bill) was born on September 18, 1948, in Mandan, ND, the oldest of four children born to Alex and Maria (Fischer) Boehm. He grew up in Mandan and graduated from Mandan High School in 1966. He married Danette Uhlman in Mandan on February 26, 1968. Bill grew up loving sports: football, wrestling, baseball and softball, the New York Yankees and the Green Bay Packers. He played baseball and wrestled at Dickinson State College while studying secondary education. He taught and coached wrestling at Gettysburg, SD, for one year and realized he loved coaching and did not enjoy teaching. Unfortunately, he could not coach without teaching so he went into restaurant management. After Bill’s passing, Danni discovered that on April 1st (the day before he suddenly went into the hospital) Bill wrote a tribute and his story to his family. In the letter he shares his love and appreciation for his wife, each of his children, and his grandchildren. So, here are a portion of his words: “I guess if you are reading this I am in a better place. This journey of life has been high octane and I am grateful for all the experiences I have had and people met along the way! On November 17, 1979, God changed my life forever. God began to change everything when He began working on me from the inside. Danni and I began to live right through God and the church. Some very good people mentored us! We loved the church and the friendships we have. I discovered that the purpose of my life was far greater than my personal fulfillment. I discovered that being on earth begins with God. We are made by God for God. I found purpose for living in a relationship with Jesus Christ. I know I was not put on earth to be remembered but to prepare me for eternity.” After meeting Christ, Bill felt led to study and prepare for full-time pastoral ministry in the Church of the Nazarene. Starting in 1987 he pastored Nazarene churches in Fargo (ND), DeKalb (IL), Muncie (IN), Kendallville (IN), Spearfish (SD), Sioux City (IA), and Huron (SD). He was an incredibly gifted and passionate preacher and leader and saw positive growth and changed lives in every church he served. Bill is survived by his beautiful wife, Danni, of Mandan; eight children, Teri (Jon) of Fargo; Tammy (Scott) of Garden Prairie, IL; Todd of Mandan; Scott (Erica) of Kansas City, MO; Alex of Belvidere, IL; Areio, Deon, and Ambrosia of Mandan; ten grandchildren, Taylor, Nathanael, Tyler, Logan, Landon, Kendel, Lizzie, Brooke, Lily, and Liam; two brothers, Larry (Renee) of Keller, TX and Ernie (Nancy) of Bismarck; one sister, Brenda (Dave) of Mandan; several brother and sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by both of his parents. Bill will be greatly missed by his family and 1000s of people. Whatever room Bill walked into the noise and the energy elevated. He didn’t do anything half-hearted. He was always driven at whatever he chose to do. His life positively impacted many people and he is now at peace and rejoicing full-time with his Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.