Marion Derreal Boswell, Jr

Marion Derreal Boswell, Jr. went to be with the Lord on Feb. 5, 2024. He was 96 years old. He will be missed by his large and extended family, but also everyone who met him as well. He never met a stranger. He was born in Howe, Okla., to Marion (Buck) Francis Boswell, Sr. and Agnes Lee Cherry on Jan. 12, 1928. 

In his teen years, the family moved to Ivanhoe, Calif. After being drafted into the Army, he was a communications specialist during the Korean War. While in the service, he met Thelma Jane Marriner on the boardwalk in New Jersey. They were married while he was still in the Army in 1947. They were married for 56 years before Thelma passed away. Shortly after they married, they moved to southern California. They settled in Chino, Calif. 

Marion worked for Humko Products, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods. After retiring from Humko, he worked in several packing houses. He was always a hard worker, and if you didn’t find him working, you would find him doing handyman work. 

He also enjoyed fishing, camping, attending fire musters in central California, spending time with family, and reading his Louis Lamour books. Oh, and he loved to watch his westerns on TV. He would never miss going to church on Sundays as well and was a member of the Church of Christ. 

When he moved up to Ephrata, Wash., in 2004, he went back to work at first at Ace Hardware, and then Home Depot, and then lastly, he worked for Crossmark at the local Walmarts as a demo person. Many thanks to those Walmart workers who would lovingly look out for him while working at the Walmarts in his later years. 

After calling it quits from working at 93 years old, he moved in with his only son and family in Moses Lake, Wash. 

He is survived by his only son, Stephen (Janissa), six grandchildren (Crystal, Stephen, Matthew, William, Ashlee and Brendon), six great-grandchildren (Cheyanne, Sean, Jennifer, Annelise, Alex and Michael), and one great-great-grandchild (Veronica), one brother (Lloyd), and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Preceded in his death are his wife, Thelma Jane Boswell, siblings (Dwayne, Joe, Shirley, Kathryne, Leon and Kenneth).

Visitation will be held 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, at Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel, 127 E. Caldwell Ave., Visalia, Calif. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, at Exeter District Cemetery, 719 E. Marinette Ave., Exeter, Calif.

Services have been entrusted to Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel. Memorial Tributes and condolences may be offered by logging onto www.salseranddillard.com.