Thomas Burke Boies, Jr. (1926 – 2023)

Thomas Burke Boies, Jr., 96, of Front Royal, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at the Martinsburg VA Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 8, at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Bible Fellowship, 15 Faith Way, Front Royal, Virginia. The inurnment will be private.

Thomas was born November 22, 1926, in Winchester to the late Thomas Burke, Sr., and Mabel Boies of Front Royal, Virginia.

He was married for 67 years to his loving wife, Mary Lou Boies, who preceded him in death in January 2023.

Thomas served 20 years in the U.S. Navy on five different ships, including two years on President Harry S. Truman’s yacht. He went to Camp David (Shangri-La) while serving with the president. He retired in 1963 while serving on the USS Saint Paul, which was used to film some of the footage for the movie “In Harm’s Way” with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. The actors and film crew ate meals with the sailors.

He was in the battle of Okinawa in 1945 and the Philippine liberation effort and received many medals. He was a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the early Viet Nam war. Thomas was a lifetime member of the Giles B. Cook Post 53 American Legion in Front Royal.

He was our loving father and a warrior of our country.

Surviving is his younger brother, Joe Boies of Santa Fe, New Mexico; daughter, Julie Nowell, and husband Mike Nowell of Front Royal, Virginia; son, Thomas Burke Boies, III, and wife, Cindy Boies of Front Royal, Virginia; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, April 8, at the church from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Grace Bible Fellowship, 15 Faith Way, Front Royal, Virginia 22630.