Steven R. Boone

Steve Boone died January 11.  He was born February 12, 1947 to the late Raymond (Jack) Boone and Marlyn Alverson Boone.  He graduated from Sidney High School in 1965 and attended Troy State University in Troy, Alabama for two years before finishing his undergraduate degree at Urbana College (now Urbana University) where he was a member of the college baseball team.  Steve was able to finish college due to an anonymous donation from an individual who knew of his personal need, a benevolence he never forgot.  A master’s degree in school counseling was conferred upon him by Wright State University in 1989.

He spent his entire teaching career at Troy High School, impacting untold thousands of lives.  Passionate about fairness, lack of bias, democracy in all venues, and unerringly rational, he left a lasting mark in the minds of his students.  A life-long athlete and the son of a semi-pro baseball player, Steve coached varsity football and baseball for much of his thirty-year tenure at Troy.

His other abiding love was aviation.  He earned his private pilot certificate in 1978 and added additional ratings throughout his life.  After retiring, Steve earned his FAA airframe and powerplant mechanic’s license and then his FAA Aircraft Inspection Authority.  He helped restore over a half dozen airplanes and enjoyed flying them all.  He was a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Experimental Aircraft Association, and the Vintage Aircraft Association.  Steve spent many happy weeks at the yearly EAA event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where he volunteered hundreds of hours.  He was also a member of the American WACO Club and the WACO Historical Society, an organization he served as president for several years.  Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the WACO Historical Society.

Steve is survived by Marla Simon Boone to whom he had been married for thirty-eight years, a sister Connie and her children Seth and Thea.  He is also survived by Denise Simon, Hugh Melling, and Dorothy Simon of Michigan and a host of incredibly loyal friends who were a constant source of joy and support to him during the extended days of his illness.

Cremation was orchestrated through Baird Funeral Home in Troy.  An open house to honor Steve’s indomitable spirit, hosted by Marla Boone, will be held at the Willis Wing of the WACO Historical Society Museum at 1865 S. Co. Rd. 25A in Troy on January 19 from 1-4PM.  Condolences may be expressed through Baird’s web site, www.bairdfuneralhome.com.  Also in lieu of flowers, re-think a prejudice, perform a random act of kindness, and cherish a loved one.