Obituary of John Boden

John Clarence Boden of Camrose, AB, died suddenly on Wednesday September 21, 2016 at the age of 55 years. John was born May 6, 1961 to Heinz and Dorothy Boden and was raised in Edberg, AB. John grew up with his seven siblings Gary, Rick, Doug, Greg, Shelley, Lenard and Cheryl. Growing up, John loved to play hockey, help out on the family farm and was always involved in 4H. This was the beginning of John's great work ethic. At the age of 18, John moved to Camrose and continued to work for the family business, H. Boden and Sons Construction. It was during this time that he met his loving wife of 30 years, Shauna Boden (Estell). In the years to follow, John and Shauna welcomed their three daughters, Kelti, Kendra and Kourtney. In the kids' younger years, the family spent much of their time camping, quadding, boating and snowmobiling. In the winters John loved to organize and lead snowmobiling trips with friends, neighbours and anybody else who was interested. His evenings were spent watching his beloved Edmonton Oilers. John loved to spend time in the local coffee shops with the boys and this is where his adventures of buying and selling vehicles began. In 1996, Legacy Sales was formed where he sold vehicles, farm equipment, and Arctic Cat products for Camrose and area. In 2002, John went to work for the Home Hardware Distribution Centre in Wetaskiwin where he soon became the night supervisor. He worked there until July 6, 2007 when he was in a life changing car accident which left him an incomplete quadriplegic. John never let his disability slow him down. He continued to wheel and deal, spend time with family and friends, travel and joke around with all who interacted with him. His love of life and love to joke was contagious. During the last year of John's life, he took great pride in travelling to schools and other institutions to educate the public about the dangers of texting and driving. John had an impact on all who had the pleasure of meeting him. His inspiration, witty disposition and amazing attitude were marvelled by all who knew him. He will be greatly missed. John is survived by his wife Shauna; his three daughters, Kelti Boden (Orland Watson) of Grande Prairie, Kendra (John) Badry of Forestburg, and Kourtney Boden of St. Albert; parents Heinz and Dorothy, siblings Gary (Florence)of Camrose, Rick (Isla) of Meeting Creek, Doug of Camrose, Greg (Marj) of Meeting Creek, Shelley (Vern) Swedberg of Meeting Creek, Lenard (Tammy) of Ohaton, and Cheryl (Scott) Cunningham of Camrose; brothers and sisters in-law Paul (Gail), Glenn (Lorraine), Ross (Paulette), Pat (Wayne) and Sean (Carolyn); as well as numerous nieces and nephews on both sides, and many dear friends. John was predeceased by grandparents Clarence and Magdalena Bakke, John and Frieda Boden, and in-laws Chub and Kay Estell. A Funeral Service was held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, September 29, 2016 from CityLights Church (4920 48 St) with Rev. David Eriksson officiating. If family and friends desire, memorial contributions are gratefully accepted to Spinal Cord Research - Bennett Lab - University of Alberta (526 HMRC Centre for Neuroscience University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2S2 - payable to "University of Alberta - David Bennett Research"), or to Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation (10230 111 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T5G 0B7).