Reynold Boezi

Reynold “Rey” Boezi, 85, died suddenly on Saturday, December 18, 2021 at his home in Toledo. The only child of Gene and Rose (Anastasi) Boezi, both deceased, he was born in Binghamton, New York and is survived by his beloved family: Rosemary, his wife of 58 years; son David and his wife Rachael and their children William (Will), James (Jamey) and Anna; and daughter Karen Boezi and her husband Jack Corsello and their children Caroline (Ceci) and Elena (Ellie). Rey was most appreciative that his parents, who grew up speaking Italian with their immigrant parents from central Italy, both worked hard so that he could attend Harpur College – State University of NY in Endicott, NY (now part of Binghamton University in nearby Vestal, NY). Graduating as salutatorian with a degree in political science, he then earned a Masters of Regional Planning degree from Cornell University, and with the help of a Woodrow Wilson fellowship, he began his PhD at Cornell and later earned a Fulbright Scholarship to the London School of Economics. After a year in London, and the death of his father, he heeded the famous 1961 inaugural quote of President John F. Kennedy “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” That took him to the Metropolitan Planning Commission in St. Paul, MN. There, over seventeen years, Rey helped form the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities, and as a Planning Director in human services and physical planning was deeply involved with many programs in the seven-county area ranging from zoos, to housing and the arts. In 1979 Rey joined City Venture Corporation (CVC), a new public-private partnership for urban redevelopment founded as an operation of Control Data Corporation of Minneapolis with the belief that corporations could be socially responsible addressing society’s unmet needs, while still being profitable. This brought him to Toledo to be the CVC Project Manager in the Warren Sherman neighborhood. In 1982 he became the CVC Director of National Operations and traveled and spoke extensively about inner city redevelopment. In 1983 he joined Seagate Community Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Trustcorp, Inc., where he helped create an innovative consulting program for community and economic development in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. In 1990 Trustcorp was acquired and Seagate CDC was closed. Then Rey and a former Seagate CDC colleague became consultants, often working together to help many organizations, including a multi-year initiative with Lilly Endowment, Inc. During those years, Rey also did campus planning work with the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio. Rey was most proud of the 14 years, part-time in the early years when he was still at Seagate CDC, that he devoted to helping redevelop the former Toledo Renaissance Building’s hotel and theatre. He worked with National Church Residences to transform the former Willard Hotel into the Renaissance Senior Apartments. Then, as Project Manager, he worked with the Toledo Cultural Arts Center to restore the Valentine Theatre until its opening in October 1999. He was thrilled with the community’s support. Subsequently he served on the Valentine Building Committee; the Toledo City Planning Commission for ten years, including three years as Chairman; six years on the board of Hospice of Northwest Ohio; and was active with the Urban Affairs Center at the University of Toledo, The Old Trinity Foundation at Trinity Episcopal Church, the Ohio Theatre in Toledo, and, until the time of his death, the Toledo Design Collective, an association of architects, planners, and interested community members who work with college interns to generate plans for aging Toledo neighborhoods. He was a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and American Planning Association for fifty-nine years, serving one term as a national board member, and in recent years was involved with the Northwest Ohio Chapter. Rey had an exuberance for life, people and his family. He had a way of making people feel special and laugh; his quips will be greatly missed. He was proud to be Italian and made an effort to find his family in Italy and maintain that connection. He loved fun, adventure, traveled extensively and rode many amusement park rides during his lifetime, including an extreme water slide with his grandkids at age 81. His passion for urban planning and development extended to his personal life, spending countless vacation hours touring cities and admiring buildings. Rey’s family will receive visitors at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Avenue (west of Corey), on Friday, April 8, 2022, from 4-7 PM with a prayer service at 7 PM. Visitation will continue on Saturday, April 9 at Corpus Christi University Parish (2955 Dorr St) at 10 AM followed by a funeral Mass at 11 AM which will also be live-streamed at ccup.org/live. In lieu of flowers, Rey’s family asks that you consider a memorial to the Valentine Theatre (410 Adams St, Toledo, OH 43604), or Hospice of Northwest Ohio (30000 E River Rd, Perrysburg, OH 43551), or Toledo Design Collective (One Seagate, Suite 123, Toledo, OH 43604).