Russell Boocock |
| Posted 2009-07-11 by Fountain Hills Times |
| Russell Boocock 1928-2008 “We shall fight on the seas and the oceans…we shall fight on the beaches…we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…” Yet still a boy when he first heard Churchill’s famous invocation of the British people, Russell Boocock recalled that June 4 speech with pride which never wavered even as he moved further in place and time from the events that inspired it. Most importantly, both then and now, Russell channeled the sentiment behind those words, a tenacity which bolstered him as a new immigrant to America, to his last days when his body failed his indomitable will. His tenacity was matched only by his wit, a sense of humor that found the brighter side in people of every stripe and all of life’s struggles. He leaves us now, at the end of his life’s journey, enriched for having experienced so fine a character and so good a spirit. The journey started on New Year’s Day 80 years ago in Hebden Bridge, a small rural town in Yorkshire, England. His father was a self-employed plumber, providing Russell and his brother a comfortable upbringing among the hills and fields of northern England. His childhood was by his own account as idyllic as the setting, disturbed only by the political realities of prewar Europe which cast their shadow over all. With the outbreak of war, he would come to know those realities all too well when his brother was drafted to serve in the Pacific and he, like his fellow countrymen, answered Churchill’s call on the home front. He too would go on to serve in the Royal Navy after the war, but his life’s path was not to be one of a sailor but rather an aeronautical engineer having graduated from the College of Aeronautical engineering in London after some two and a half years of military service. With an intellect as sharp as his wit he went to work for Super Marine, producer of the famed Spitfire. It was then in 1954 that he married his wife Sheila, the greatest joy in a life filled with satisfying people and moments. Russell went to work on the Concorde supersonic jet for the British Aircraft Corporation, the one and only commercial supersonic jet ever put into service. With the eventual decline of the British Aircraft Corporation, Russell decided to take his family, which now included his only son, Simon, to America as an engineer for Boeing. His work with Boeing, Hughes Helicopters and others would be integral to the designs of many modern helicopters including the Apache. Even after his formal retirement, he continued work as a consultant, sharing his decades of expertise in litigations and crash investigations. For all the commitment he showed his work, he devoted even more of himself to all of those who were blessed to meet him. Principal among these are the family members he leaves behind, Sheila, his wife of 53 years; Simon, his son, Wendy his daughter-in-law; and his two grandchildren, Sean and PJ, whom he loved with a depth that mere words can never equal. Yet even to his acquaintances, his gentle spirit was an uplifting force which could bring a smile to one’s face like the one that rarely left his. He maintained that disposition even as in his last days his body rebelled against him. He left this world surrounded by those whom he cared for and whom have benefited the most from him, stalwart to the very end, but finally at peace. His memory is a living example for all of the spirit Churchill evoked and of the words of the English poet Alfred Tennyson in his poem Ulysses: “Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’ We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Fountain Hills Times June 25, 2008. |
Note: These obituaries are transcribed as published and are submitted by volunteers who have no connection to the families. They do not write the obituaries and have no further information other than what is posted within the obituaries. We do not do personal research. For this you would have to find a volunteer who does this or hire a professional researcher.
Questions About This Project?