Robert D. "Bob" Boring

1952 - 2020

(News story) Robert D. "Bob" Boring, a longtime health and physical education teacher and coach at Toledo Public Schools, died Aug. 29 at his home in West Toledo. He was 67.

He died of of metastasized prostate cancer, his wife of nearly 43 years, Dolores Boring, said.

Mr. Boring retired from Toledo Public Schools in 2017 after 33 years of teaching health and physical education, most recently at Waite High School, where he taught for about eight years. While at TPS, he coached football, baseball, and wrestling for the school district.

Known as Coach Boring to colleagues, schoolchildren, and their parents, he also volunteered to coach little league football from 1988 until 2019, when he got sick.

"He was a very caring and dedicated teacher and coach," Mrs. Boring said. "He went the extra mile for his players and his students. Kids - when they got to high school football - would say, "Jeez, Coach Boring already taught us that."

His students and players appreciated him, his wife said.

"I don't remember a single time we went to a grocery store when someone wouldn't come up and say, 'Hey coach. How are you doing?'" she said.

In 1988, Mr. Boring was instrumental in putting together a West Toledo Lightweight Football League team of TPS schoolchildren from the Reynolds Corners neighborhood. Many of the team members later went on to play varsity football at Rogers High School, St. John's High School, and Southview High School, his wife said.

"My dad, he was a subtle disciplinarian, and he was fair to all kids," said his son Aaron Boring, who coached football alongside his father for 20 years at West Toledo Lightweight Football League. "He didn't play favorites and he was fair to all kids. And he was always there for his players. He was the rock. He made the team what it was."

The elder Mr. Boring was born Dec. 20, 1952, in Toledo to Jane and Emil Boring.

He was raised in Toledo, where he graduated from Bowsher High School in 1970. While in high school, he played varsity football and baseball.

After high school he was a conductor for Conrail's Toledo-area operations for 11 years.

He then attended the University of Toledo, graduating in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in education.

Later that year he hired on as a TPS substitute teacher, which he did for a couple of years until he became a full-time teacher at Spring Elementary School.

In 1977 he married Dolores Zablocki. They raised three children together.

In his free time Mr. Boring enjoyed attending his children's and grandchildren's sporting events.

A big Bruce Springsteen fan, he also liked to attend area blues concerts with his wife. He was also an avid Ohio State football fan.

Along with his wife, the former Dolores Zablocki, surviving are his sister, Susan Boring; son, Aaron Boring; daughters, Amber Boring and Ashley Boring; five grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday and continue from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, at Newcomer Funeral Home's Southwest Chapel, where memorial services will immediately follow. Masks and social distancing are required. The family is suggesting participants wear Redskin or OSU gear in honor of the deceased.

The family suggests tributes to the American Cancer Society or to the West Toledo Lightweight Football League.

This is a news story by Mike Sigov. Contact him at sigov@theblade.com or 419-724-6089.