George Boucher's Passing

[streamliner]

I was searching through old archives and found this sad news. I know many of you were very good friends with George and Ruthlea. My condolences go to his family, especially at this time of year...

George Wade Boucher, 86, of Indio, Calif., passed away August 21, 2010 in La Quinta, Calif. He was born on February 27, 1924 to George Washington Boucher and Wilma Wade Cunningham in Dyer, Tenn. He married Ruthlea Eberhart on February 23, 1946 in St. Louis, Mo. He was in broadcasting for 52 years. He was a member of Mountain View Baptist Church. George was a car salesman and dealership owner in St. Louis, Mo. while at the same time pursuing a career in broadcasting. George and Ruthlea moved to Seattle in 1952, where he worked for a number of radio stations including KBLE for 40 years. He has been referred to as the "godfather" of Christian Radio. The Northwest Pioneer Broadcasters awarded him for being "the longest running, continuous manager of any Seattle radio station". George and Ruthlea were founding members of Richmond Highlands Baptist Church. He had a passion for automobiles and was President of the Tucker Automobile Club of America. He was also a St. Louis Cardinal and Seattle Mariner's Baseball fan. In 1996, George and Ruthlea retired to the Coachella Valley. George is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ruthlea Boucher of Indio; daughter, Melinda Ruth Boucher Read and son-in-law, Tom Read of Spokane, Wash.; son, George Eugene Boucher and daughter-in-law, Yali Boucher of Indio. A Funeral Service will be held 3:00 PM, Thursday, August 26, 2010 at the Ramon Chapel, Forest Lawn, Cathedral City, CA. A reception will follow. In addition to the funeral service at Forest Lawn, there will also be a funeral service for Mr. Boucher in the Seattle area. The interment will be at Floral Hills Cemetery, Lynnwood, Wash. next to his mother, mother-in-law and father-in-law. The family suggests that donations be made to the American Diabetes Association or Coachella Valley Rescue Mission.

Published in The Desert Sun from August 25 to August 30, 2010

[TuckerCar]

Mark Boone never did get his hands on George's original Tucker Zippo...