Magdalene Boom

Magdalene "Mag" Boom was born April 15, 1922 in Ardoch, ND, the youngest of ten children born to Frank and Magdalene Schultz. She died December 8, 2011 in Kennewick, WA where she had moved in August 2010 in order to be closer to family as her health declined. Mag spent her childhood in Ardoch and after high school met the love of her life, Donald Boom, when he was working on a farm crew near her home. They dated until Don entered the Army in February 1943. They reunited in Tacoma, WA and wed there September 16, 1943. After World War II and Don's discharge in 1945 the couple made their home in Grand Forks, ND, where they spent most of their married life and where their only son, Ron, was born in 1946. Three daughters followed: Peggy in 1949, Judy in 1955, and Cindy in 1958. Amid the normal joys and blessings of raising a young family, there were also difficult and tumultuous times in the Boom household. Mag was the glue that held the family together. They began a chapter of hope and renewal when Don joined Alcoholics Anonymous in 1964. The people Don and Mag met in AA and Alanon proved to be sources of love, support and lifelong friendships. And many in their AA/Alanon family would say that Don and Mag returned the same gifts throughout the years. Those days were filled with frequent, fun get-togethers with visiting, card games, good food and of course, lots of coffee. The fun extended into later years after Don retired and he and Mag became snowbirds, joining many of their ND cohorts in Arizona, and meeting new friends from all over the U.S. They loved those winters and it was difficult for Mag when they ended after Don's death at age 76 in 1998. Mag was a woman of strength and determination. She first became a survivor when at age two she nearly lost her life after falling into a cistern. Her strong will showed itself in her resolve to complete high school. She caught a ride with the bread truck driver from Ardoch to school in Minto each morning and hitchhiked home each evening. In the past four years she has had some of her greatest losses: the death of her daughter, Cindy, to cancer in 2007, and the loss of her good health, forcing her to give up her car and home and to move away from her lifelong home and friends. All these losses she bore with grace and little complaining, winning the hearts of new friends and her wonderful caregivers in Washington. Mag had a strong work ethic. She was a loyal employee, working at various jobs in factories, restaurants, school cafeterias, and shops, with her longest employment being as a bartender at the Ryan Hotel. In spite of always working outside the home, Mag's greatest legacy is perhaps her love of home and hearth. She was a homemaker extraordinaire, and a great baker and cook. No one left the Boom's without a happy tummy. Many people claim that their Mom made the best apple pie, but the Boom kids are the only ones who are right about it. Mag's pies were tops. She was a kitchen scientist of sorts. She would remake a dish and analyze it over and over until she perfected it. All that, and within three minutes from the time the meal was cooked or the cake was in the oven, her kitchen was spotless. Much to her dismay, her daughters didn't inherit the "clean as you go" gene. Mag had a sweet down-to-earth simplicity to which people were drawn. She was favorite aunt, and a favorite neighbor. For Mag neighbors quickly turned into friends, especially those at the Cherry Street Patio Homes where Mag and Don lived for many years. And Mag was the last surviving "neighborhood mom" for the "North Sixth Street Gang" where the family lived when the children were young. Mag was preceded in death by her parents, eight siblings, her husband, Don, and her daughter, Cindy Capouch. She is survived by her brother, Florian "Smoky" Schultz, her son, Ron (Ginger) of Pasco, WA, her daughters, Peggy (Bill) Mager of Kennewick, WA and Judy (Terry) Houser of Kansas City, MO, her grandchildren, Jami & Kristi Boom, Kevin Ore, Christopher Ledin, Carly Jones, Ryan and Kaitlin Capouch, and one great-grandson, Clayton Jones, as well as many nieces and nephews. Mag was a woman of faith and character. Doing the right thing was never a question for her. She was a lifelong Catholic. It is fitting that she will say her final good-byes at the parish she loved so dearly. Her Funeral Mass will be at 1:00 PM December 16, 2011 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Grand Forks with interment following at Calvary Cemetery. Luncheon will then be served at Holy Family. Viewing will be 5:00 - 7:00 PM December 15, 2011 followed by the Rosary and sharing of memories, all in Amundson Funeral Home, 2975 S. 42nd St., Grand Forks. Contributions may be made in Mag's name to Hospice at the Chaplaincy, 2108 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick, WA 99336.