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Bob Boetticher

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Bob Boetticher
Boetticher in 2011
Personal details
Born
Robert Michael Boetticher

August 23, 1946(1946-08-23) (age 78)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation  • President and CEO of LHT Consulting Group
 • Assistant to the Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Service Corporation International

Robert Michael "Bob" Boetticher, Sr. (born August 23, 1946) is an American funeral director, best known for the planning and implementation of memorial services for celebrities and notable individuals. He was the lead funeral director and embalmer for the state funerals of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan,[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] and has coordinated and directed some of the most visible funerals in recent history for a variety of well-known politicians, cabinet members, business leaders, entertainers and clergy.[3][4]

With a career spanning nearly five decades,[12][13] Boetticher has become a renowned figure in the death care industry.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] He is currently the Assistant to the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Service Corporation International and President and CEO of LHT Consulting Group.[4] He is also a nationally known speaker and lecturer,[23][24] movie and television consultant[25] and contributing writer for industry publications.

Early life[]

Boetticher was born in Santa Monica, California to Henry Edward Boetticher (1924 – 2004), an entrepreneur, and Patricia Jean Boetticher (1923 - 2011), a homemaker and community volunteer. Boetticher and his older brother, William Edward (1944 - ), were raised in Brentwood,[26] a suburb of Los Angeles.

Boetticher knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue a career in funeral service. He graduated from Army and Navy Academy[26] in Carlsbad, California in 1965, then later enrolled at the California College of Mortuary Science to become a licensed embalmer and funeral director.

Military Service[]

During the Vietnam War, Boetticher was drafted by the U.S. Army and was forced to leave his studies at the mortuary college as well as positions with a local funeral home and ambulance company. He was sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana for Basic Training and then made the decision to enlist for an additional year to attend the U.S. Army’s Grave Registration School at Fort Lee in Prince George County, Virginia.

After completion of Grave Reservation School in 1966, Boetticher received orders to be assigned to an Infantry Regiment and then transferred to a Medic Mobilized Unit in Augsburg, Germany. Being a funeral director and apprentice embalmer, he was then reassigned to the Army Mortuary System Europe in Frankfurt, Germany,[26] where he served as a supply sergeant and embalmer. Boetticher was honorably discharged in 1970 as a Sergeant First Class, but remained in Frankfurt, working for the U.S. Army PX system.

Career[]

Upon his return to the United States, Boetticher wanted to explore a career in the film industry working alongside his uncle, Budd Boetticher, a well-known movie director. But in need of steady employment for his growing family, he turned back to his lifelong ambitions in funeral service. He accepted a job at Gates Kingsley & Gates Mortuary[26] in Santa Monica, California. The firm was acquired by SCI shortly thereafter, marking Boetticher’s first position with the funeral service giant. He then graduated from the California College of Mortuary Science in 1971.

In 1974, Boetticher and his wife,[26] Jarka, purchased a funeral home and flower shop[26] in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he was elected Teton County Coroner[26][27][28][29][30][31] for Teton County, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park. He went on to later purchase three other funeral homes throughout Wyoming and also held offices and received awards in local, national and state organizations.

In 1983, he rejoined SCI and relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, where he served in a variety of field funeral and cemetery operations and also served on the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Kansas Community College – Mortuary Science. He relocated to SCI headquarters in Houston, Texas in 1991, heading several departments and was temporarily reassigned to London, England to assist with the company’s merchandising efforts with newly acquired funeral homes. Boetticher’s work has also contributed to technological innovations in death care. As concerns began to mount surrounding the safety of funeral professionals involved in embalming procedures, Boetticher worked for the research and development of a new embalming fluid,[32] Infinity 2000, a phenol- and formaldehyde-free fluid that required no special safety precautions and was non-irritating to the embalmer’s eyes and skin.[32] Infinity 2000 also, unlike formaldehyde, allows organs to retain their natural color, which is of use in teaching at medical schools.[32]

Since 1993, Boetticher has been Vice-Chairman and CEO of the National Museum of Funeral History,[17][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] a 35,000 sq. ft. facility located in Houston which houses the country’s largest collection of funeral service artifacts. He has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Regents for the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service for 19 years. In 2014, Boetticher became President of The Heritage Club, a charitable group that funds and supports educational endeavors in the funeral service industry.[42]

Boetticher is a familiar speaker at industry conferences and events, with past appearances at the Wilbert, Inc. annual meeting in Santa Fe, NM in 1996; the Tri State Funeral Directors Convention in Kansas City, MO in 2005; the New York Funeral Directors Convention in Saratoga, NY in 2011; the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association Mid-Winter Conference & Expo in Columbia, SC in 2012; the Rochester Funeral Directors Meeting in Rochester, NY in 2013; the Southern Funeral Service Expo in Macon, GA, the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Convention in Tulsa, OK, and the Erie-Niagara Funeral Directors association in Amherst, NY in 2015. In 2016, Boetticher spoke at the Idaho Funeral Service Association Convention in McCall, ID; appeared twice in engagements at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in Cincinnati, OH, including delivery of the commencement address; and was also a featured speaker at the Southeastern Family Office Forum in Atlanta, GA, presenting on the topic, "Preparing for the Inevitable: The role of the family office when there is a death.” In 2017, Boetticher spoke to the Funeral Directors of Kentucky in Louisville, KY and Alabama Funeral Directors in Mobile, Alabama.

Boetticher has also had consulting assignments for museums, production companies, radio programs and feature films,[43] including The Gangs of New York and A Woman of Independent Means.[44][45] His television credits include work on Six Feet Under, the History Channel and the Discovery Channel.

List of Notable Clients[]

Professional Accreditations[]

  • Mortuary license, State of Texas
  • Mortuary license, State of California
  • Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters, Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service

Personal life[]

Boetticher is married to Jaroslava Rydlova Boetticher, a Czech-born physical therapist, whom he met in Germany during his service with the U.S. Army. They have three children, Robert M. Boetticher, Jr.[26][46] (1970), Keven H. Boetticher (1975) and John P. Boetticher (1978).

References[]

  1. ↑ Shirley, Craig (2015). Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 159555534X. 
  2. ↑ "Remains to be seen". June 6, 2007. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "'Funeral Director of the Famous' to speak at Kent State University". http://www.tolandherzig.com/newsletter/famous_endings/newsletter_list.cgi?action=single&p=2009.09.p1.jpg&filename=2009.09.feature1.html&title=&titlefile=2009.09.featuretitle1.html. Retrieved May 22, 2014. 
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 "Notable Farewell Tributes of Bob Boetticher". http://www.lhtgroup-us.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014. 
  5. ↑ Roach, Mary (June 13, 2004). "Putting a Good Face on the Final Adieu". http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jun/13/opinion/oe-roach13. Retrieved June 15, 2014. 
  6. ↑ Guthrie, Julian (June 9, 2004). "For Reagan mortician, the 'honor of a lifetime'". http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/For-Reagan-mortician-the-honor-of-a-lifetime-2750626.php. Retrieved June 20, 2014. 
  7. ↑ Defort, Edward. "Everyone’s Watching: The funeral of President Reagan". 
  8. ↑ Loving, Susan. "A Historical Farewell: Serving the Reagan family and their country". 
  9. ↑ "Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Exhibit". American Funeral Director Magazine. October 1995. 
  10. ↑ ""Auto Smart" Interview with Randy Reinhart". WYTS (1230 AM). 
  11. ↑ Parmalee, Thomas (March 2007). "Honoring Tradition Celebrating the life of President Ford". American Funeral Director. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Preserving a dying art". February 17, 2007. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "A Crab-shaped coffin? Funeral Museum showcases unusual sendoffs". January 24, 2004. 
  14. ↑ "What You Can Learn from Nancy Reagan’s Funeral". https://www.familyoffice.com/insights/what-you-can-learn-nancy-reagans-funeral. 
  15. ↑ Cronin, Steve (January 2016). "Fun with the Famous". American Funeral Director. 
  16. ↑ "2011 FCCFA Annual Convention and Trade Show". http://www.thefccfa.com. Retrieved 10 November 2014. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Witt, Howard (July 16, 2006). "Don't whistle past this one". http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-07-16/news/0607160328_1_national-museum-caskets-funeral-industry. Retrieved June 24, 2014. 
  18. ↑ "Buried Treasure: Ghanian fantasy coffins celebrate life in show at Funeral Service Museum". June 15, 1995. 
  19. ↑ "Lincoln funeral train lives again at local museum". February 14, 1996. 
  20. ↑ "Kansas City Firm Contribute Services After Local Disaster". June 1, 1989. 
  21. ↑ "District Manager of the Year Robert Boetticher, Sr". Inside SCI. October 1, 1989. 
  22. ↑ "Funeral Cars". June 13, 2015. http://www.myfoxhouston.com/clip/11593974/funeral-cars. Retrieved 17 June 2015. 
  23. ↑ "Boetticher speaks on 'State Funerals of the 21st Century'". http://www.iccfa.com/salonc-d. Retrieved June 24, 2014. 
  24. ↑ "Boetticher speaks at Gerald Ford Presidential Museum". Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141016214545/http://www.geraldrfordfoundation.org/wp-content/newsletters/summer08.pdf. Retrieved June 1, 2014. 
  25. ↑ "Preserving the Past: American Funeral Service Museum Houses Industry’s Heritage in Houston". 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 "When the work of the police is completed, his job is just beginning". November 16, 1977. 
  27. ↑ "Bones, Clothing Near Pack Found To Be That of Animal". October 15, 1976. 
  28. ↑ "Plane Crash Kills Four Prominent Local Men". September 10, 1980. 
  29. ↑ "Yank Climber Dies in Alps". July 27, 1978. 
  30. ↑ "Boy Scouts Discover Body on Wyoming Camping Trip". January 4, 1981. 
  31. ↑ "Inquest Near In Fall Death". June 23, 1977. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Kellar, William Henry (1999). Service Corporation International: The Creation of the Modern Death Care Industry. Dockery House/Heritage Publishing, Inc. 
  33. ↑ Howard-Fusco, Lisa (April 1, 2015). "A Look Back at the Marsellus Casket Company, The Rolls Royce of Casket Companies". American Funeral Director Magazine. 
  34. ↑ Peyton, Lindsay. "Funeral museum scares up some Halloween fun". The Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/spring/news/article/Funeral-museum-scares-up-some-Halloween-fun-5853038.php. Retrieved 30 October 2014. 
  35. ↑ "Pope Show: Exhibition re-creates papal funeral". http://www.journalnow.com/news/nation_world/article_537087e7-c430-5894-bec0-527cd66c880c.html?mode=image&photo=0. 
  36. ↑ Cook, Sandra. "Funeral Museum Showcases the Importance of What we do". 
  37. ↑ Teague, Luke (June 1, 2015). "A Funeral Director’s Perspective". 
  38. ↑ ""The Making of a Saint"". http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=de019be7-af19-41b4-a7e5-7728010784ed. Retrieved 1 June 2016. 
  39. ↑ ""The Making of a Saint"". http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=ee84aa19-2070-44d5-8613-0fcf5dd1f098. Retrieved 1 June 2016. 
  40. ↑ ""The Making of a Saint"". http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=f2056922-6463-489e-a986-8b927abada7c. Retrieved 1 June 2016. 
  41. ↑ Turner, Allan (July 24, 2016). "Saluting A Saint-Marker: Funeral museum celebrates life, death and miracles of Pope John Paul II". 
  42. ↑ "The Heritage Club Newsletter". December 1, 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222182915/http://nfda.org/newsletter/cat_view/467-heritage-club-newsletters.html?limit=20&limitstart=0&order=date&dir=ASC. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  43. ↑ "Museum helps take fear out of funerals". June 27, 1996. 
  44. ↑ "Historical vehicles, artifacts are a big part of American Funeral Service Museum". September 20, 1995. 
  45. ↑ "A unique piece of Vatican History". November 22, 2008. 
  46. ↑ "Keeping up with the CANA President: Q&A with Bob Boetticher, Jr.". American Funeral Director Magazine. 
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