Carl L. Bosley

My dad, Carl L. Bosley, was born November 4, 1933, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Carl R. and Elizabeth Bosley. He passed away January 26, 2026, at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia, after a well lived and deeply loved life. He was one of seven children (his brother Teddy died as a baby), growing up with five brothers and one sister. Whenever the Bosley siblings gathered, there was laughter, plenty of jokes — and the ongoing debate over who was “The Good Looking One.”

Dad was preceded in death by my mom, Donna (2001); my brother, Tim (2025); his parents; his sister, Donna and her husband, Rueben; and his brothers, Larry and Rick. His brother, Ray was living at the time of Dad’s passing but has since passed as well. Ray’s wife, Ruth, passed several years earlier.

He is survived by me, his daughter, Deb (and my husband, Rick); his brother, Walt and Walt’s wife, Nancy; and his sisters-in-law, Sandy and Cheryl.

Dad played football in high school until a broken leg during his freshman year ended that chapter. His first car, a dark blue 1953 Mercury two-door hardtop, began a lifelong habit of meticulous care for every vehicle he owned. He didn’t collect cars or rebuild them — he simply enjoyed them and took pride in maintaining them. Dealerships joked they lost money when he traded them in because they were always in such good condition. He even kept a notebook recording car wash dates and times.

He served two years in the Army, stationed in Germany during peacetime, working with heavy artillery and cannons — an experience that later contributed to his hearing loss. He met my mom, Donna Rath, on a blind date arranged by her brother, who worked with him at Swift & Company in Sault Ste. Marie. They married in 1957 and remained together until Mom’s passing in 2001.

Just out of the Army and newly married, Dad began his career as a meat cutter at Swift & Company and later at Vollwerth & Company. “A meat cutter, not a butcher,” he would always say — “they’re two very different things.” He later worked in the meat department at Kincheloe Air Force Base in Kinross, Michigan. When it closed in the mid-1970s, he moved our family to Marquette, where he worked in the meat department at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base commissary and later became department manager. After that base closed, he continued working at a local grocery store.

He worked until age 75, wanting to stay busy, especially after Mom died. In retirement, he kept active at his place in Gwinn — mowing in summer and snowblowing the heavy winter snow, which he always said he preferred. He was a true Michigan native at heart. He also made frequent road trips to visit Tim and me wherever we were living.

One of the clearest reflections of who my dad was came when I was a teenager. A grocery store cashier was having a difficult day, and instead of responding with frustration, Dad met her with steady kindness. Later he told me, “Her bad mood doesn’t have to change who I am.” It was how he lived — quiet, patient, grounded in compassion — and it’s a lesson I’ve carried with me ever since.

Dad didn’t speak easily about his feelings, but in recent years he expressed gratitude for living with Rick and me in Virginia — as if he were ever a burden. Caring for him was my honor, just as he had always cared for me. He was a steady presence throughout my life, and my life will not be the same without him.

I have been surrounded by kindness as I’ve navigated this loss, and many words of comfort have meant more than I can say. One in particular, shared by my Aunt Cheryl — who is still grieving the loss of her husband, Dad’s youngest brother, Rick — continues to resonate: “We must learn not to live without them, but to live with the love they left behind.” That thought feels like a steady guide for me now.

I will carry his kindness, strength, and love with me always.

Honoring his wishes, there will be no formal funeral service. Our family will gather privately at a later time to lay his ashes to rest. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a donation to the charity of their choice.

Canale-Gwinn Funeral Home and Cremation Services is assisting the family where memories of Carl may be shared at canalefuneral.com