Richard Bolden

RICHARD "RJ" BOLDEN

Marion

Richard James "RJ" Bolden, 92, of Marion, passed away peacefully on April 9, 2015. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and a truly one-of-a-kind character.

Born Oct. 5, 1922, in La Crosse, Wis., RJ married Naomi Mae Barney on Oct. 9, 1946, also in La Crosse. Together they raised five children: Linda (Bill) Kuennen of Cedar Rapids, Jim Bolden of Cedar Rapids, Rhonda (John) Hammes of Fairfield, Gary (Cheri) Bolden of Marion and Shawn Bolden of Cedar Rapids.

RJ was a proud veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in World War II as a top turret gunner on the B-25 bomber. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross medal for missions he flew over Burma.

After the war, RJ returned home to Wisconsin and married Naomi, the love of his life, and they started their family. In 1953, they moved to Marion, where they started Marion Brush Manufacturing Co. RJ was an expert craftsman of high-quality, wood-handled brushes, and Naomi ran the back office. For more than 40 years, they worked side by side building their business, and it operates on Seventh Avenue in Marion to this day.

RJ was always up for an adventure. He loved hunting, boating, snowmobiling and motorcycling. He and Naomi took trips to Yellowstone National Park, Colorado, Alaska, Canada and other outdoorsy destinations in their camper. They also enjoyed watching wildlife and boaters from their house on the Mississippi River, where they lived for a decade.

In his later years, RJ enjoyed watching Westerns and war flicks in his green easy chair, strong black coffee in hand and Naomi at his side.

RJ was known for his colorful turns of phrase such as "great balls of fire" and "goodnight nurse." He was an inventor, a tinkerer, a list-maker, had a bit of a sweet tooth, and was known to burst into song at the top of his lungs.

RJ is survived by his five children, 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his dear wife, Naomi, and his sister, Eleanor Watson.

Memorial services: 11 a.m. Thursday, April 16, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Marion, by Jeff McCaughey, with military honors. The family will greet friends one hour before the memorial service at the funeral home on Thursday.

A memorial fund has been established in RJ's memory.

The family would like to thank the residents and staff of Summit Pointe Senior Living Center in Marion for making RJ feel at home for the past few months. He was truly one of a kind and will be missed something fierce.

Please share a memory of RJ at www.murdoch funeralhome.com under obituaries.