John Edgar Boeckman, 83, Springfield, died November 16, 2018 at home, with his sons at his side.  He was born June 18, 1935 in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Raymond Kurt and Lela Mae (Freeman) Boeckman.  He graduated from Muskogee (Oklahoma) Central High School and The University of Tulsa, where he met the love of his life, Susan Elizabeth Johnson.  They were married for 54 years before she departed this life in 2011.  After Susan passed, John married Alice Paris.

John and Susan moved to Springfield in 1968, where he worked in the corrugated packaging business, spending the last several decades of his career with his good friends at what is now SMC Packaging Group. John was a long-time supporter of MSU football and basketball (McDonald and John Q. Hammons arenas were a focus of family life for many winters in the 70's and 80's), played golf at Twin Oaks, enjoyed traveling (including several station wagon -borne cross country vacations in the mid-70's that remain a central part of family lore), was an honorary coach for out of town teams at the Tournament of Champions for many years, and most of all loved being with his family and friends.

John is survived by four sons, Jim and wife Nancy; Paul and wife Rebecca; Philip and wife Erin; Stephen and wife Sarah; and grandchildren, Taylor, Solana, Matthew, Lauren, Andrew, Elizabeth, Olivia, Anna, Stella and Emily.

Services will be held at Covenant Presbyterian in Springfield at 3:00 p.m. on November 29, 2018, with a reception following.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are encouraged to the American Cancer Society or a charity of the donor's choice.