Obituary of Robert Edmund Boomer

Robert Edmund Boomer passed away peacefully on January 2, 2017 in Grosse Pointe. He was born on June 17, 1926, the second of five children to Roy and Helen Clippert Boomer. A lifelong Detroiter, Mr. Boomer grew up in the historic Boston-Edison district and had fond memories of large family gatherings at his Clippert grandparents' house every Sunday. He graduated from Detroit Country Day School in 1944 before enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II and served in occupied Japan. He returned home to attend Wayne State University on the GI bill and completed his degree in three years. Diligent, determined, and wise, Mr. Boomer was a true leader. After graduating from WSU, he joined The Boomer Company, a construction materials distributor founded by his grandfather in 1903 as a coal supply company. In 1960 he succeeded his father as president and led the company into a new era in Detroit's construction industry. He served on the board and as Chairman of the Builder's Exchange of Michigan (now the Construction Association of Michigan) and The Associated Construction Distributors International (ACDI). In his community, Mr. Boomer took on many leadership roles and was as generous with his time as he was with his wisdom. He served on the boards of The Franklin-Wright Settlement, The Grosse Pointe Academy, and Grosse Pointe War Memorial. His enthusiastic involvement extended to his beloved Pointe aux Barques community where he met his wife of 63 years, Anne Knapp Boomer, originally of St. Louis. After he retired they spent winters in Boca Grande, Florida where he enjoyed taking friends out on his boat, fishing, and playing golf. They loved to travel and visited more than 50 countries together though his heart was always at Pointe aux Barques. Mr. Boomer was predeceased by his wife who passed away July 24, 2016. He is survived by their five children, George (Allison) of Corvallis, Oregon, Anne "Muffy" Milligan (Edward) of Grosse Pointe, Robert (Julia) of Grosse Pointe Farms, Catherine (Stephen Germic) of Pointe aux Barques, and Ellen of Washington, DC; their five grandchildren, Maxwell and Andrew Boomer, Scot and Charles Milligan, and Eloise Germic. His is also survived by one sibling, Susan Boomer Brumback of Orlando, Florida, her three daughters, and many Clippert cousins. A memorial service will be held for Bob and Anne on Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 11 a.m. at The Grosse Pointe Academy, 171 Lakeshore Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236. His ashes will be interred at PAB on Saturday, June 17, 2017. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following: The Grosse Pointe Academy; The Port Austin Reef Light Association, 8265 N. Van Dyke Road, Port Austin, MI 48467 (www.portaustinreeflight.org); or The Paragon School, P.O. Box 540507, Orlando, FL 32854 (www.paragonschool.org).