George Richard Boersig (Joe)

George Richard Boersig (Joe), age 82, of Albuquerque took his final flight home on Sunday, January 30, 2022.

He was born in Denver, Colorado to Jack and Dorothy Boersig. Joe married his high school sweetheart, Toni Wintin, on October 13, 1962, in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Joe grew up in Denver, graduating from Regis High School. He then earned his bachelor's degree in Math and Physics from Regis College and did his Master's work at UCLA in Aerospace Management. He was an officer in the United States Air Force from 1962 until he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1984. During his Air Force career, Joe worked on the space program, specifically training the astronauts of two Gemini crews, working with satellite companies, working on the transition between the Atlas and space shuttle programs, and coordinating the launch of various payloads. After retiring from the Air Force, he worked for McDonnell Douglas at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida and continued his space-related career. Over the years, Joe worked with many of the original astronauts as well as those who followed. He always had a hand in what NASA was doing and helped it to achieve its goals.

Joe and Toni lived in many places during their Air Force days. After he retired from his space program career, they moved to Red River, NM, fulfilling his dream of returning to a mountain setting. They lived there for ten years before moving to Albuquerque, NM, where they could be closer to their daughter, Laura and her husband Bill. Joe would be the first to tell you that he had fulfilled most of the things on his Bucket List. He and Toni loved traveling, and they went on many adventures, including several trips to Alaska, Japan, many continental European countries, Egypt, several countries in South America, Mexico, England, Ireland and Scotland, as well as traveling throughout much of the

United States. While all of these adventures were interesting and totally worthwhile, perhaps his trips to Alaska held the fondest memories, for he was in his beloved mountain setting and enjoying his favorite sport, fishing.

Joe was an avid fisherman and always welcomed anyone to go fishing with him. He had enough equipment to supply a small fishing expedition, and that thrilled him. He also loved the winter sports up in Red River, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. He spent several winters as a tour guide at Bobcat Pass, which was ideal, as he truly never met a stranger and enjoyed meeting so many people who were new to the area and its winter sports. While winters in the mountain were fun, one of the highlights of his retirement years was getting his pilot license. Both he and Toni learned to fly and discovered newfound middle-aged freedom in their single-engine planes. It was fun seeing the two of them co-pilot for each other. Of course, piloting was great but flying on the Concord in 1986 was an adventure these two shared that was in a whole new category!

But retired life wasn't all about adventure and fun. Joe's sense of civic responsibility was real, and he found several outlets for it. He volunteered at the local elementary schools in Red River and in Albuquerque, tutoring students in math and reading. He also gave presentations about NASA and the space program to his sister-in-law's elementary students. He extended his love of "all-things-space-related" to his nephews, sharing with them memorabilia he had collected over the years. Joe was tireless when it came to volunteering his time and skills to the local and state Democrats on a continuing basis, not just during election years. His people skills helped with voter registration drives, phonebank calling, candidate forums, precinct work, and countless tasks he was called upon to do. He believed in the power of the vote and was proud of the work he was able to do to keep it going strong.

For all his accomplishments at work, at play, and through volunteering, Joe's total commitment was to his family. He was a family man in every sense, and that meant everything to him. He had two brothers he was

close to and an extended family in Toni's. The Boersig Casa he and Toni established always welcomed family, and it was the place to be during summers. Living so close to Disney World, Joe took countless little ones there for a trip-of-a-childhood. Up in Red River, their cabin had plenty of room and family often filled it for visits. His nieces and nephews are grown now, but they all remember "Uncle Joe" and the wonderful adventures he'd take them on, whether it be at the beach or in the mountains. But the true loves of his life were his beloved wife, Toni, and his precious children, Rich and Laura. Joe was a loving, kind, and compassionate husband and father. Every single decision and move he made was centered around them and their well-being.

Toni describes him as a good, strong partner, one who didn't operate under the "I / me" model but rather the "we / us" one. He was a true gentleman and loved his lady. Joe and Toni built a home for their children based on love and respect. Joe was so proud of becoming a father, it was easy to see this in his interactions with Rich. That little guy loved his daddy so!

Joe was raised around boys, and his family didn't have a girl in it for many (many!) generations, so when Laura was born, she truly was his Princess. He was amazingly patient and loving as a parent listening to childhood stories, then hearing endless trumpet practice sessions, and then in time the constant talk of boys. But perhaps the ultimate show of patience was when Laura had to take a college Physics class and Joe bought two sets of books and took the class right along with her. Joe's closeness to Laura earned him the title "Bud" because he was always her best friend. One of the happiest days of Joe and Toni's lives was the day that Laura married Bill Suttles. Joe loved having a close relationship with Bill, and the two of them bonded while teasing each other about their rival football teams (Joe's Broncos and Bill's Bengals) and grilling steaks or enjoying a beer together. They always found common ground that built on their already close relationship. They forged a real friendship built on respect and their love for Laura.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Dorothy Boersig; his brother, Maurie Boersig; his precious son, Richard John Boersig (1963-1968); his son-in-law, Bill Suttles; his sister-in-law, Kriss; and his brother-in-law, Phil.

He is survived by his loving wife of almost 60 years, Toni Boersig and his precious daughter, Laura Suttles, both of Albuquerque. He is also survived by his brother, Tom Boersig and his wife Chris of Pittsburg, CA, and Toni's sisters, who always thought of him as their brother, never an "in-law", as well as many nieces and nephews who loved their "Uncle Joe".

The family would like to express their appreciation to the staff at Bee Hive Assisted Living and Ambercare Hospice in Albuquerque and requests memorials be made to Saint Jude's Children's Hospital ( https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=header-btn-donate-now ) or to the Veterans Integration Centers helping homeless veterans in Albuquerque http://www.nmvic.org/donate/