Ed was born on November 24, 1924 in Nada, Texas, to Edward and Leona (Eggemeyer) Boenisch, the fourth oldest of six children.
He married Mary Margaret (Branecky) in Flatonia on Jan. 12, 1947 and they were blessed with 66 years of marriage, a match made in heaven.
Ed enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 8, 1942, one year after Pearl Harbor. He served three years through the end of World War II, with service in England as a personal equipment specialist as well as three missions in late 1944 as a waist gunner and observer on the B-24. From 1945 through 1948 he had several civilian jobs in San Antonio, Texas where he met Mary, the love of his life. They married on January 12, 1947 after a brief courtship. He returned to the United States Air Force on February 18, 1948 and served with distinction for a total of 28 years, retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant. During his military career, he served as a recruiter, basic training instructor, training superintendent, Base Sergeant Major, and Wing Sergeant Major. He and Mary traveled extensively while in the Air Force, including Tokyo, Japan; Tacoma, Washington; San Antonio, Texas; Newfoundland; Amarillo, Texas; Denver, Colorado, South Korea, and Okinawa.
During his military service he was awarded 18 medals and ribbons including the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. He served during WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Cuban Crisis.
In 1973, he retired to Amarillo, Texas. At the request of their children Ed and Mary later moved to Arlington, Texas where they resided since 2001. As a retiree, he was honored as the 1994 Veterans Administration Volunteer of the Year, 1995 Texas Volunteer of the Year (Daughters of the American Revolution), 1996 Central U.S. Volunteer of the Year (Daughters of the American Revolution), and 1997 Patriot Award (Knights of Columbus) while a member from 1988-2001. A highlight and distinct honor was participating in a 2013 Honor Flight of World War II veterans to Washington, D.C.
Ed is survived by six loving children and their spouses, Edmond Jr. (Linda) Boenisch of Cheyenne, Wyoming; Catherine (Lloyd) Hall of Shepherdsville, Kentucky; Kenneth (Kathryn) Boenisch of Edmond, Oklahoma; Thomas (Barbara) Boenisch of Alvarado, Texas; Sharon (Robert) Deats of Arlington, Texas; and Joyce (Dennis) Brown of Arlington, Texas. He has 19 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren. Ed is also survived by his sister Dorothy (Max) Vorauer.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Leona (Eggemeyer) Boenisch, his siblings, Adelena Boenisch, Gerhard Boenisch, infant sister Johanna Boenisch, and Otto Boenisch.
Visitation will be 6:00-8:00pm on Thursday, June 7 at Moore Bowen Road Funeral Home, Arlington. Funeral services will be held at 10:00am on June 8, 2018 also at the funeral home. Interment will be held at 1:30pm on Friday at the Dallas Ft. Worth National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Honor Flight DFW, 10455 N Central Expressway, Dallas, TX, for all those who are still serving, have served and will continue to serve our great country.
PALLBEARERS
Kenny Boenisch
Marc Cooper
Brian Deats
Matt Hall
Scott Luzader
Jason Nikl
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18