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Insurance salesman, camellia gardener
Longtime Claremont resident Howard Bolles died on January 17, 2008 at the age of 95.
Born on February 24, 1912 in Atlanta, Georgia, Mr. Bolles brought his unique wit and the courteous sincerity of the South with him to southern California, which he and his wife, Marion, called their home for 61 years.
Raised in a church-going family active in the Baptist ministry, Mr. Bolles graduated from Georgia Tech University in 1934 with a degree in chemical engineering. Due to the Depression, he did not pursue a career in chemistry. Instead, he moved north to Rochester, New York where he obtained an administrative position with Bausch & Lomb. He traveled frequently for his work—to Manhattan, New England, and throughout the eastern seaboard, becoming a trusted secretary and confidant to the company’s chief executives.
It was in Rochester that Mr. Bolles met his true love, Marion Minges, a beautiful and charming homecoming queen and collegiate. The couple honeymooned on Cape Cod, where they would return whenever possible, stopping along the way in Whitman, Massachusetts for Tollhouse cookies.
In 1942, the Bolle’s daughter—called “precocious” by family members—was born. Soon after, Mr. Bolle’s wife’s worsening arthritis necessitated a move to warmer climates. After a short stay in Florida, the family moved across the country to southern California, settling in Pasadena.
A man with “impeccable morals,” the family shared, Mr. Bolles was opposed to the corruption creeping into the optics industry and, therefore, chose to resign from Bausch & Lomb upon arriving in California. After a few difficult years, he became a successful life insurance salesman for Equitable. His work brought him into contact with a broad array of individuals and, occasionally, he would share their stories at family gatherings.
Upon retiring, Mr. Bolles and his wife moved to Claremont, which Mr. Bolles would later describe as the loveliest place in which one could reside. In Claremont, the couple participated in the Garden Club and maintained a beautiful garden with prize-winning camellias, whose blooms Mr. Bolles continued to enter in competition after his wife’s death in 1991.
Mr. Bolles also enjoyed reading, playing canasta with friends and turning his prodigious wit to the composition of poetry.
Mr. Bolles is survived by his daughter, Barbara, and granddaughter, Jill, of Redlands; and by his niece, Alice, of Atlanta, Georgia.
Per his wish, the family mourned his death in a private remembrance.
The family wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to all the staff at Claremont Manor for their kind and compassionate care of Mr. Bolles.
