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Verne Bovie Obituary
SPRINGVALE -- Verne H. Bovie, 88, of Springvale, passed away on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at the H.D. Goodall Hospital in Sanford.
He was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., on April 11, 1923, the son of the late Henry and Anne (Curry) Bovie. A graduate of New Rochelle High School, he then attended the University of Maine Orono for one year. WWII started and he enlisted in the Air Force in 1941.
He was a pilot and flew a B-26. The plane in his squadron was shot shown over Germany on Dec. 23, 1944, and he was a POW in prison camp (Stalag Luft IV) until 1945. After the war he was brought to a military camp in Plattsburg, N.Y., to recuperate. It was there where he met his future wife who was a nurse at the hospital. On Sept. 29, 1945, he married the former Evelyn Huer.
Verne returned to school and received his BA from Wesleyan College, Mass., from Colgate College and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1957. His teaching brought him to Nasson College where he was an English and American Literature Professor.
His biggest joy in life was flying airplanes. He did fly his own plane and was an instructor for many years.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Evelyn Bovie of Springvale; children, Deborah Esty and her husband Jim, Verne Christopher Bovie and his wife Susan, Martha Bovie and her husband William Garceau, and Jennifer Bovie; and his grandchildren, Justin, Megan, Renee, Ethan, Dylan, Eliza, Marissa and Adam. He is also survived by his dog, Katie.
Visiting hours will be on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home, 580 Main St., Springvale. Burial will be at a later date at the Southern Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed at www.blackfuneralhomes.com.
Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider donations in his memory to:
The Nasson College Little Theatre
457 Main St.
Springvale, Maine 04083
Verne H. Bovie
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Verne Bovie
5 Entries
Tom McHugh
April 10, 2012
A warm, wise, and wonderful man. In my time at Nasson, I never met anyone who didn't like Dr Bovie.
Bob Frost
April 8, 2012
My condolences to his family and friends. As an English major, I spent many enjoyable hours in his classes and like many of Nasson's faculty, it was easy to count him as a friend. He will be missed.
April 7, 2012
Evelyn and Family: I have always appreciated the fact that Verne, I think due to his difficult experiences in WW II, always cautioned me about the dangers of believing too uncompromisingly in any political ideology. I didn't agree with him then but now, thirty years or so later, I finally get the message. Thanks, Verne.
I wrote the following in a long piece reacting to a book on the history of Nasson College. That effort is a rambling mess but the fond mention of Verne Bovie is concise and to the point and places him in excellent company.
"Let me just add that the problem at Nasson College was not that there were not any senior Faculty members who led by the classy and professional example they set. There were many who did, indeed, fill that role. I would number among them Bill Lawrence, Verne Bovie, Len Whittier, Ray Gilmore, Gordon Johnston, and, even if not really a “senior professor” during my time, Cal Senning.
Mary Ann Tygert Esmerian
April 6, 2012
I am so sorry to hear this news. Dr. Bovie was always one of my favorites, top of the list. I was not an Eng or Lit major, but loved his classes and took as many as I could fit in. I was in the class of 1962. My condolences to the family.
April 5, 2012
I am sorry to hear of his passing. He was a well respected and liked professor, and 40 years later I can still picture him teaching our class.
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