Boward Howard "Tom" Thomas

1945 - 2025

Boward Howard Thomas "Tom"

September 24, 1945 - August 28, 2025

Howard Thomas Boward (Tom) passed away peacefully at his home in Downs, Ill. on August 28, 2025, at the age of 79.

A visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday September 5, 2025, at the Downs United Methodist Church.

The funeral service will be Saturday September 6, 2025, at 12 p.m. also at the church.

Memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society or Downs Community Fire Protection. Calvert-Belangee-Bruce Funeral Home LeRoy is in charge.

Tom was born on September 24, 1945, in Lincoln, Ill. to Thomas Shaw Boward (Deat) and Hattie Ann Smith Boward. He attended schools in Mason City, Ill., and graduated in 1963. Tom graduated from Western Illinois University with Bachelor of Science in Education – Social Science and Physical Education on June 3, 1967.

Tom and his future bride (Shirley Maxine List) met on a blind date in high school, and they married on August 27, 1967, in Easton Methodist Church, Easton, Ill. They shared 58 years and one day of marriage. She survives.

Also surviving are his sons, Eric Travis List Boward of Downs, and Aaron Justin (AJ) List Boward (Cynthia Diane "Cindy" Edwards) of Downs; four grandsons, Kalvin Craig (KC) Boward, Levi Thomas Boward (Lauren Sellers), Lucas Starr Boward (Samantha "Sam" Day), and Coleton James Boward, all from Downs; one granddaughter, Morgan Teresa Boward of Downs, Ill.; and two great grandchildren, Nora and Nash; and his sister, Laura Lea Myers from Mason City, Ill. Tom is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, and several cousins.

Tom was drafted into the military on August 14, 1968. He served in the 25th Infantry Division as a Sergeant E5 in Vietnam from August 1969 – July 1970. He was awarded a Bronze Star medal for his service.

Following his military service, he earned his Master of Science with Distinction on August 13, 1971, at Eastern Illinois University.

During his 30 years in the Tri-Valley Schools, he mainly taught PE and Drivers Education. He coached boys' basketball for many years and track and field. He started the cross-country program at Tri-Valley and coached it for many years. He also started the Tri-Valley girls basketball program and coached them with much success and enjoyment. He always said that the girls were easier to coach than the boys because the girls actually listened and then tried to do what he said. He gave up coaching and was appointed Middle School Principal until 2001 when he retired.

Tom enjoyed hunting morel mushrooms and turkeys in the spring, and deer in the fall. Later in life he turned to golf with friends But there wasn't much he enjoyed more than spending time with his family, watching them grow and mature.

But most importantly to all the students and other teachers, both young and old, that he encountered in his thirty years at TV was his ability to relate to them and bring out their best, mentoring them in not just sports, but life.

Tom Boward has had a lasting influence on many students, many future teachers and educators. That is one of his lasting legacies.

Calvert-Belangee-Bruce Funeral Home

101 W Center Street

Le Roy, IL 61752

(309) 962-3191