David Peter Boland

Predeceased by his mother, father, brother Jim, and precious daughter, Maureen, he is survived by his wife of twenty-two years, Dianna Boland; adored daughters Elizabeth Burro (John), and Patricia Boland; cherished grandchildren D.J. Augner (Amanda), Jamie Augner, and Julie Boland; four wonderful great grands Saylor, Camden, Kasey, and Jameson; dear niece, Mary Boland; ex-wife Helen Martin; and a wide circle of loving friends.

Dave was, by all accounts, a force of nature, as free-willed as they come. He was witty, irreverent, charming, curious, adventurous, sometimes irascible, and mostly kind. A collector of people, he could talk to anyone from anywhere and find ways to connect. A collector of instruments, he taught himself to play guitar, harmonica, melodeon, saxophone, and clarinet. Everyone was welcome at his table, and dinner usually came with a side of music.

Born March 24, 1938 to Charlie and Mary Boland, Dave grew up in St. Albans, Queens, NY, along with his older (“best”) brother, Jim. At seventeen, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, serving for four years in Japan. After a stint as a NYC Police officer, Dave made his professional home in the NYC Fire Department, proudly serving for twenty-six years with Engine 261, Ladder 116 (Astoria, Queens, NY). Firehouse life suited Dave; he loved the camaraderie and large-scale cooking, making many good friends and many good meatballs.

Always a doer and a learner, and always a little restless, Dave’s hobbies were passions. In addition to people, music, and cooking, these included running (yes, even the NYC marathon), skiing, scuba diving, and tennis. As a retiree in Jacksonville, his boundless energy led him to compete in the barrel races on the rodeo circuit with his horse Ruby. He then joined a motorcycle club and rode, often with Dianna on the back, all over the U.S., Mexico, and parts of Europe. Indeed, travel was a shared pleasure for Dave and Dianna, and they flew, cruised, and drove across many miles together. Eventually, Dave returned to one of his original passions, sailing. He loved hanging out at the dock, tinkering on his boat, and tooling around the St. Johns River and the Intracoastal. In 2019, for his 81st birthday, he triumphantly completed a three month, two-man, open-sea sail from Jacksonville to the Bahamas and back.

David’s greatest love, however, was his daughters. The tragic death of his daughter, Maureen, at sixteen, was a profound loss and marked an incredibly dark period in Boland family life. Dave found his resilience and, in his daughter’s memory, successfully sought his sobriety, which he maintained for the rest of his life. Although the next decades brought geographic changes and reconfigurations for the family, their love for one another was tenacious and abiding -- and nourished whenever possible by Dave’s famed Family Spaghetti & Meatball Nights. It was his great joy to spend time with Tricia, Lizzie, and their families. He was so proud of them all.

Dave’s last two years were not easy, but he bore his physical losses stoically, even defiantly, and with good will. It is hard for those of us who loved him to fathom his bright light now gone out. We will miss him dearly, remember him always, and carry him in our hearts and actions. If the dates on a gravestone mark the beginning and end of a life, the dash is what we do in between. Some people have bucket lists and hope to get to them someday. David Boland had a rich and robust dash, and he lived it daily, insistently, capaciously, and gleefully.

If you would like to remember Dave, contributions may be made in his name to the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy (https://www.foundationforpn.org/online-donations/). Or, just help us live his legacy by living your dash well.