David Boaz

1942 - 2013

David E. Boaz

June 30, 1942 - September 19, 2013

SALEM- David E. Boaz, 71, passed away peacefully early Thursday morning September 19 at Tokarski Hospice Home, nearly two years after being diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He was born June 30, 1942 in Detroit, MI. The first child of Reverend David C. Boaz and Georgie Clark Boaz, he grew up in Winston-Salem, NC. He graduated from Wake-Forest with a B.A. degree in music and earned a Master's in Education at the Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. He moved to Schenectady, NY where he began a family. Throughout his career, David was committed to helping communities and organizations articulate and realize their dreams. He served as director of Communication and Development for VITA (Volunteers for International Technical Assistance), and executive director of Glenotia, a private agency serving youth and their families. David moved to Providence, RI where he was director of Institutional Development and Community Relations at Bradley Hospital, which provides mental health care to children, and was elected president of the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island. He was also an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Providence. After working for several years with Ruotolo Associates, he established db & Associates, Consultants in Philanthropy, which provided management and strategic planning counsel to non-profits in the greater New England region to make the globe safer, society more just and people's lives richer. David was passionate about the rights of children and those with mental illnesses.

David was a gifted musician. A bass soloist and member of many choral groups over his lifetime, he met the "most wonderful woman in the world" in Salisbury Singers in Worcester, MA. Together they sang in Providence Singers, Worcester Chorus, and Master Singers of Worcester. In 1998, David and Barbara moved to Salem, OR where he retired. He was a singer in Willamette Master Chorus, Festival Chorale Oregon, and Confluence and enjoyed establishing a barbershop quartet, the UU 4. David was a valued member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem. He served on the board for many years including as chair and was actively involved in the choir as a singer and director. David enjoyed bringing people together around fun and food. His tennis, squash and poker buddies on the east and west coasts will miss him. A voracious reader, David also loved biking, gardening, and was a devoted nap taker. His booming voice, welcoming his friends, "Greetings! People!" still reverberates in our minds.

David leaves his wife of 28 years, Barbara Stebbins-Boaz, his daughter Susan Boaz (Davidson, NC), his son Adam Boaz (Falmouth, MA), three grandchildren, Megan, Adam, and Michael as well as his brother, Michael (predeceased), and his sister, Susie Atkins (Winston-Salem, NC).

The family requests that instead of flowers, gifts be made in David's memory to Willamette Valley Hospice, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem Music Endowment, Willamette Master Chorus, and the International OCD Foundation. A service to celebrate David's life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem, 5090 Center St., Salem on Saturday, September 28 at 2:00 pm. All are welcome.