Ronald Bosse

Ronald Bosse, 84, passed away Tuesday morning, June 20, 2023 at St. Francis Home in Tiffin, Ohio.

Bosse (as he always liked to be called) was a missionary for all of his adult life. As a teenager in the early ‘60s he worked in Panama through the Peace Corps designing and building latrines in poor communities. He then went to Peru where he worked alongside the Maryknoll Brothers as a lay missionary. In the ‘70s he was grandfathered in as a young man to become one of the original Maryknoll Lay missioners along with Jean Donovan and Liz Mach.(or Bernie Buckwitz.)

He would continue to serve as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner for over 30 years -- first as a single man and later with his wife, Carolyn -- in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile, where he always lived and worked with indigenous communities. Even upon retiring in 2014, he and Carolyn moved to the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky to continue to be present among the poor in an area with very little Catholic presence.

When Carolyn died in 2021, Bosse moved into St. Francis Home in Tiffin.

Bosse met Carolyn in Peru while she was working as a Papal Volunteer. They developed a friendship and continued to communicate, even after Carolyn returned to the United States to continue with her nursing. About 10 years later, she was walking down the street of Puno in the altiplano of Peru where they met again, and continued their relationship, eventually getting married and joining Maryknoll as a couple in 1985.

Bosse and Carolyn were pioneer missioners in many ways, yet they never sought the spotlight, always happy just to follow their calling, living among the people in indigenous communities around Latin America. But most inspiring to many was the depth of their love and commitment to each other. Each was a very singular person, and although their personalities were quite different, they shared a common vision and love for the people with whom they shared their lives.

A Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 A.M. on Monday, August 7, 2023 at the St. Francis Chapel with Rev. Ted Miller officiating.  A reception will follow in the Multipurpose room at St. Francis Home.  Burial will be in Lake Township Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Maryknoll Lay Missioners.

Hoffmann-Gottfried-Mack Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements.

Condolences may be sent and the guestbook signed at www.hgmackfuneralhome.com.

To view the livestream, copy and paste this link:  https://livestream.com/accounts/6539669/bosse

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