Sylvio Leon Bousquin Jr.

Sylvio Leon Bousquin, Jr., the Depression-era son of an Army officer who lived overseas as a youngster and returned to the U.S. to marry and raise five children while pursuing his love of sailing, died Monday, December 19, 2022, in Jacksonville, Fla. He was 84.

His death was caused by complications that resulted from a fall. He transitioned peacefully surrounded by his five children, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and with his wife of 59 years, Louise, holding his hand. The love in the room was palpable.

“Syl” was born on January 21, 1938, in Winthrop, Mass., to the late Sylvio Leon Bousquin, Sr., and Josephine May (Lombard) Bousquin. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother Richard and his sister Theresa.

After four years of active duty in the Navy, Syl married his beloved Louise, whom he called “Weeze,” on June 29, 1963. They welcomed five children between 1964 and 1972. He went to night school while raising his young family and graduated cum laude with a BS in business administration from Villanova in 1969. He liked to say he graduated with three and a half kids since Louise was pregnant with baby number four at the time.

He spent his career working for Boeing, even though he abhorred wearing a suit to work and preferred his red polyester weekend pants from Sears. His happy place was on the Chesapeake Bay. Louise (only half-jokingly) named their first power boat The Other Woman.

Together Syl and Louise eventually became sailors and named their sailboat Freude (pronounced froy-dah), which means joy in German, a nod to Louise’s German heritage. In later years, they crisscrossed the country in their RV, always making a point to visit family and friends along the way. One of his favorite stops was the Bluebell ice cream factory in Texas, where he enjoyed the free samples. If there’s ice cream in heaven, you’ll find him eating a hot fudge sundae with walnuts and a maraschino cherry, no whipped cream.

Syl became an accomplished woodworker later in life. He also loved to read and discuss books with his children and grandchildren, and enjoyed nothing more than a good conversation. He and Louise never missed a family Zoom call, a weekly ritual begun in March 2020. And though he was known to grumble about family Wordle—he liked Sudoku better—he often suggested the first word and more often guessed the final word. When asked on his 59th wedding anniversary to name some highlights from the past 59 years, he held up five fingers and said, “Five children.” When asked at a recent Thanksgiving dinner what he was most grateful for he said without missing a beat, “My Weeze.”

Sylvio is survived by his wife, Louise Marie (Lachenmayr) Bousquin of Jacksonville; his children Carla Davies (Ted), Marilyn Bousquin (Steve Dawson), Kim Baxter (Randy), Susie Cheek (Joe), and Joe Bousquin (Jackie Kang); his grandchildren Ashley Davies, Sam Dawson, Colbey Davies (Emily Margolis), Ryan Baxter, Matthew Baxter, Abigail Cheek, Grace Cheek, Owen Cheek, and Lily Cheek; his sister Jan Mellish; and his beloved nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life for Syl will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 11801 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, Fla. A reception will follow.

The Celebration will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person.

https://youtu.be/RFKkhH7Y2HY

https://youtu.be/YBrv2aGV9nM

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgmandarin.com for the Bousquin family.