Obituary for Eloise Jean Boggs
Eloise Jean Boggs
Born March 30, 1924, the only daughter of Cornelius Thomas Boggs and Mary Maysel Crowder in Porter, Clay County, West Virginia passed away on May 1, 2023 at her home in Ona, West Virginia. She was 99 years old.
She graduated from Clay County High School in 1941 and in September of that year entered Glenville State College (University). Her education was interrupted by WWII during which she taught at numerous one-room schools near Porter, WV. She returned to Glenville in 1946 and graduated a year later Magna Cum Laude with a BA degree in Education which would prove to be invaluable in her future career choices.
Being interested in the field of laboratory science she accepted a position with the WV Bureau for Public Health in the WV State Hygienic Laboratory. While there, in addition to her normal duties, she taught numerous WVU Medical Technology students rotating through the State Hygienic Laboratory in the fields of bacteriology and parasitology from 1947 to 1956. During that period, she attended Morris Harvey College (University of Charleston) where she studied bacteriology, chemistry, and German, thereby meeting the qualifications of a Microbiologist in the state system.
At age 32, she began to question her “mission” in life and considered offering her skills to foreign missionary work. In late 1954, she left the WV Bureau of Public Health to enroll in Berkshire Christian College in Brookline, Massachusetts where once again she was asked to teach a required course in science to Freshmen at the college which included the opportunity to pursue further study at one of the many colleges in the Boston area. This led to her completing advanced science courses at Boston University and receiving her Master’s Degree in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1961. Eloise continued to teach courses in immunology and pathogenic bacteriology after graduation.
In 1965, she was asked to manage a clinical laboratory for the Massachusetts State Health Department to test for Group A streptococcus, a nationwide rheumatic fever prevention program conducted by the federal CDC through the 60s and 70s. She is a member of The National Registry of Microbiology and an associate member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. During the summers, however, she participated in her church denomination mission in Guadalajara, Mexico teaching conversational English to Spanish-speaking Latinos, of the working class.
She retired from the State of Massachusetts in 1980 and returned home to West Virginia. Being in her 50s at the time, she felt she had productive years to offer to an employer. Consequently, she returned to the WV Department of Health in its Training and Evaluation Section. In that role, her department involved itself with the different activities associated with evaluating the efficiency of small medical laboratories in the state and in offering laboratory training to laboratorians as well as conducting workshops throughout the state. In 1991, she was promoted to Associate Director over the Clinical Testing and Training and Evaluation Section, a position she held until her retirement in 2003.
Eloise was always interested in history; specifically that of her family and Clay County. Related to her family, she traced her family roots back to the Mayflower. She was a long-time member of the Clay County Historical Society and was instrumental in the creation of the Society’s several publications including serving as the editor of their quarterly newsletter, “Now and Then” for 32 years.
Ms. Boggs is preceded in death by her two aforementioned parents and four brothers: Blakely, Dexter, Kent, and Keith. She is survived by a Sister-In-Law, Francis Boggs (Kent) of Boulder, CO, three generations of nieces and nephews, and a long list of cousins. As she is self-described as being a non-questioning, non-soliciting, go-with-the-flow person, attributes which have endeared her to most who knew her, she also is survived by many many friends and acquaintances.
A funeral service will be at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at Hafer Funeral Home in Elkview, with Pastor Boxley Boggs officiating. Burial will follow at the White Family Cemetery in Bomont, WV.
Visitation will be from 12:00pm-2:00pm on May 13, 2023 at Hafer Funeral Home.
Online condolences may be sent to www.haferfuneralhome.net
Arrangements are in the care of Hafer Funeral Home, 50 North Pinch Road, Elkview, WV.
Born March 30, 1924, the only daughter of Cornelius Thomas Boggs and Mary Maysel Crowder in Porter, Clay County, West Virginia passed away on May 1, 2023 at her home in Ona, West Virginia. She was 99 years old.
She graduated from Clay County High School in 1941 and in September of that year entered Glenville State College (University). Her education was interrupted by WWII during which she taught at numerous one-room schools near Porter, WV. She returned to Glenville in 1946 and graduated a year later Magna Cum Laude with a BA degree in Education which would prove to be invaluable in her future career choices.
Being interested in the field of laboratory science she accepted a position with the WV Bureau for Public Health in the WV State Hygienic Laboratory. While there, in addition to her normal duties, she taught numerous WVU Medical Technology students rotating through the State Hygienic Laboratory in the fields of bacteriology and parasitology from 1947 to 1956. During that period, she attended Morris Harvey College (University of Charleston) where she studied bacteriology, chemistry, and German, thereby meeting the qualifications of a Microbiologist in the state system.
At age 32, she began to question her “mission” in life and considered offering her skills to foreign missionary work. In late 1954, she left the WV Bureau of Public Health to enroll in Berkshire Christian College in Brookline, Massachusetts where once again she was asked to teach a required course in science to Freshmen at the college which included the opportunity to pursue further study at one of the many colleges in the Boston area. This led to her completing advanced science courses at Boston University and receiving her Master’s Degree in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1961. Eloise continued to teach courses in immunology and pathogenic bacteriology after graduation.
In 1965, she was asked to manage a clinical laboratory for the Massachusetts State Health Department to test for Group A streptococcus, a nationwide rheumatic fever prevention program conducted by the federal CDC through the 60s and 70s. She is a member of The National Registry of Microbiology and an associate member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. During the summers, however, she participated in her church denomination mission in Guadalajara, Mexico teaching conversational English to Spanish-speaking Latinos, of the working class.
She retired from the State of Massachusetts in 1980 and returned home to West Virginia. Being in her 50s at the time, she felt she had productive years to offer to an employer. Consequently, she returned to the WV Department of Health in its Training and Evaluation Section. In that role, her department involved itself with the different activities associated with evaluating the efficiency of small medical laboratories in the state and in offering laboratory training to laboratorians as well as conducting workshops throughout the state. In 1991, she was promoted to Associate Director over the Clinical Testing and Training and Evaluation Section, a position she held until her retirement in 2003.
Eloise was always interested in history; specifically that of her family and Clay County. Related to her family, she traced her family roots back to the Mayflower. She was a long-time member of the Clay County Historical Society and was instrumental in the creation of the Society’s several publications including serving as the editor of their quarterly newsletter, “Now and Then” for 32 years.
Ms. Boggs is preceded in death by her two aforementioned parents and four brothers: Blakely, Dexter, Kent, and Keith. She is survived by a Sister-In-Law, Francis Boggs (Kent) of Boulder, CO, three generations of nieces and nephews, and a long list of cousins. As she is self-described as being a non-questioning, non-soliciting, go-with-the-flow person, attributes which have endeared her to most who knew her, she also is survived by many many friends and acquaintances.
A funeral service will be at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at Hafer Funeral Home in Elkview, with Pastor Boxley Boggs officiating. Burial will follow at the White Family Cemetery in Bomont, WV.
Visitation will be from 12:00pm-2:00pm on May 13, 2023 at Hafer Funeral Home.
Online condolences may be sent to www.haferfuneralhome.net
Arrangements are in the care of Hafer Funeral Home, 50 North Pinch Road, Elkview, WV.