Susan Swaffar Boklaga

Susan Swaffar Boklaga, 95, of Pepperell, Massachusetts passed away peacefully on March 27 at the Apple Valley Center in Ayer.

She was born in Van Buren, Arkansas, on December 10th, 1918 and graduated from Van Buren High School (1936) and the Saint Anne’s School of

Business in Fort Smith, Arkansas, before going on to complete the Civil Service Exam.

Susan married the late William ‘Bill’ Boklaga, (Sgt. retired USAF) in February of 1963 in Reno, Nevada and not long after moved to Pepperell to be close to the facilities at Fort Devens and Bill’s brother and family.

Susan’s life was filled with interesting jobs including early years with Navy Department, Bureau of Aeronautics during the time just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. During the Second World War she worked in Key West, Florida for the United States Postal Service. While living in

Nevada she worked at the Desert Research Institute and for the then Governor of Nevada, Grant Sawyer.

Always interested in politics, Susan had the opportunity to meet three of the nation’s Presidents and remained a staunch member of the Democratic Party to the end. She and her late husband were proud, founding members of both St. David’s Episcopal Church and later the Church of the Holy Spirit Anglican Church in Pepperell.

Susan thoroughly enjoyed her long-time memberships in the Pepperell VFW Post 3291 Ladies Auxiliary, the Pepperell Garden Club, and the Prudence Wright Chapter of the DAR. Always the southern belle and a proud patriot, she took great delight in dressing up and riding in every local parade as a representative of one group or another.

She is survived by her “darling daughter” Belinda Sue Gallagher (nee Davis) and son-in-law Coleman Gallagher of Tory Hill, Ontario, Canada; niece and nephew Melissa and Max Kelley of Fort Smith, Arkansas; great nephew Preston Kelley and family members of the late Walter Boklaga.

A service of celebration will be held on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 1 Tucker St., Pepperell followed by a graveside service at the Woodlawn Cemetery, Pepperell at 2:00 p.m.

Relatives and friends are invited to a reception to follow at the V.F.W. Post #3291, Leighton St., Pepperell. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pepperell Garden Club Scholarship Fund, the DAR Scholarship Fund, or the charity of your choice.