William Basil ‘Billy’ Bohan

May 11, 1930 - September 7, 2020

SAN DIEGO —

Bill Bohan, known to some as ‘Billy’, was called to heaven just days following the death of his beloved wife, Ruth Ann Hageman.

Bill was born into a happy Irish family in Medford, Massachusetts, to Winifred (Kenny) and Patrick Bohan, and was the longest living member of his family, including all his siblings: Patsy Flanagan and Jim Bohan, and half-siblings Mary and Edward Mcmanus.

Bill enjoyed running on the track team at Boston College and graduated with a BS in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Statistics. After college he joined the Army at Fort Sill, where he met his future wife, Zola Bartz, a beautiful Oklahoma girl. Zola was a flight attendant with American Airlines and, at that time, was required to give up her job to marry Bill in 1957.

Bill and Zola had their first child, Barbara, in Boston in 1958. After her birth, they decided to trade in the challenging winter weather for sunny San Diego, where Bill began his career with General Dynamics, followed by 25 years as a Navy Scientist at Naval Oceans Surveillance Center (NOSC). Three more children followed: Bridget (1959), married to Chris Olson; Gretchen (1960), married to Bill Morgan; and Sean (1964), married to Christy Bantugan.

Bill was always athletic, a runner until his knees wore out, then swimming and biking became his exercising passions. He prided himself on his fitness and rode his bike to work most days, from the Clairemont family home out to NOSC on the Pt. Loma peninsula.

The family suffered a huge blow with the loss of Zola to breast cancer in 1983. Bill dealt with his grief by exploring his roots in Ireland, biking around the country, and visiting all his many Irish relatives.

A year after returning home, he met Ruth Ann Hageman on a blind date set up by his secretary, and they were married in 1987. Ruth Ann’s children, Felicia and Kevin Fahey, then became part of the family. Six granddaughters followed the marriages of his own children: Megan (married to Jason Schutz) and Emily Morgan, Julia and Olivia Olson, and Kayla and Rachel Bohan. His one grandson (Corbin Platti) came through Ruth Ann’s daughter Felicia’s marriage.

Bill was a kind, gentle soul, known for his witty humor, outgoing personality and never letting anything ever bother him. He was a lifelong Catholic with a passion for singing, and sang in the choir of his church, Christ the King, even performing solos. Blessed with an aptitude for accents and languages, his favorite places to travel were Ireland and Italy.

Bill loved people, nobody was a stranger, and he could always be found chatting up a group of people wherever he went.

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