Bill And Bonnie Claassen
Kris, Alex and family. I started ISU in 1970 with a large contingent of my high school friends and met Boo in 1973 in Ames, through mutual friends. Boo fit right in with our group and expanded a very close knit group of life long friends. He was one in a million, extremely friendly, funny, foosball professional and smart. I’ll never forget his good humor or the intensity of his eyes.....I’ll also never forget the intensity of his faithful sidekick, Fred’s eyes either, during that time. I graduated in 1974, but stayed at ISU for another 1.5 years, graduating again in 1976. I came back to Ames once in awhile after moving to Peoria. I recall one trip back to Ames in particular. Boo was playing softball or baseball at the 13th Ave complex west of of the creek. I pulled up just before the ambulance arrived to take boo to the hospital. His ankle was not where it was supposed to be after sliding into home. Boo moved back to LeClaire to recuperate after that and since I was just down the road in Peoria, I came up to wet lines on the big river. Fishing just across from the nuclear plant, we brought in a paddle fish doing a poor backstroke on the surface....how appropriate, catching a pre historic fish outside of a nuclear plant.... another event that would bring smiles to Boo was the morning after a wild game feed party I had at our house in Peoria, when Fred and my dog, Cadence, suddenly got up and left the room we were sitting in......we continued to share time together through the years, but not as frequently as in the 70s. Boo and many of our ISU gang got together in 2010 and 2012, traveling to our fish camp in Ontario. A special place for special friends to share old memories and act like it’s the 70s, again. Old, special friends are to be remembered and cherished that way, as Boo is by so, so, many. Bonnie and are very sorry for your loss. Bill and Bonnie claassen, Waterloo, Iowa.