William Roger Boorman

1934 - 2025

William Roger Boorman
William Roger (Bill) Boorman was born on July 2,1934 in Hollis, NY. He was the oldest of three children born to the late William Webster Boorman and Mary Theresa Boorman. He passed quietly from this life on February 4, 2025 at home, surrounded by dear friends who loved him.
After high school Bill attended Hunter College in NYC and then transferred to Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte NC. After graduation he attended Naval OCS and was commissioned as a Lieutenant jg. Bill spent 20 years in the US Navy as a Supply Officer stationed in various places around the globe including Rota Spain, Vietnam, Columbus Ohio, Long Beach CA, and his final posting in Treasure Island CA, retiring from the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander.
After retiring from the Navy, Bill lived in the Sunset District of San Francisco and began a second career as a dedicated, much loved and respected sixth grade teacher at St. Gabriel's Parish School. In San Francisco Bill was a fervent supporter of the arts and an active volunteer for many charitable and civic organizations. Bill loved to garden and fought the fog of San Francisco to manage a beautiful garden of which he was very proud! Bill moved to Santa Rosa in later years where he again became enmeshed in community activities, volunteer efforts and continued his love of gardening.
In Bill's early retirement years in Santa Rosa he was active in social justice issues, volunteering at Face to Face and Catholic Worker. He belonged to Resurrection Catholic Church and Emmaus Intentional Community.
After spending so much of his life caring for others, in his final years Bill was rewarded by receiving the loving care of so many of his Santa Rosa community.
Bill manifested the kindness and compassion of Jesus; his defining characteristic being that he loved people. He made good friends and kept them his whole life.
Bill exemplifies the Scripture in which Jesus was asked by scribes which commandment is the most important? The Lord replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31).
And also Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Bill loved people, sought justice for the less fortunate, and was a humble soul whose presence was comforting, his smile encouraging, and his joy evident.
Bill was preceded in death by his brother Jack and his lifelong friend Masako Hinata Watson. Bill is survived by his beloved husband, Larry Metzger; his sister Carol Boorman, nieces Denise Whitmore (Dennis), and Caroline Boorman, nephew David Boorman, sister-in-law Helen Dillon, and his chosen family of Michael and Sarah Watson and their children William, Evie, and Henry. Bill is also survived by many loving friends in San Francisco and Santa Rosa.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held at Resurrection Catholic Church, 303 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa at 11:00 am, Friday, March 7. For friends who can't attend the service, it will be live-streamed through www.resurrectionfamilies.org that will take you to a you tube link.
The Emmaus Faith Community will celebrate the life of Bill on Sunday, March 9, at 3:45 pm. You. can join the Zoom meeting at 4:00 pm by using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=83819574613 Passcode 1234 or open Zoom on your browser and type in the meeting ID when prompted: Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode 1234