LeRoy Cooper Boice

“Some roads are rough, but they still lead home.” 

LeRoy Cooper Boice, age 52 of Lidgerwood, ND, passed away surrounded by his loving wife, his children, his mother, and his family on July 26, 2025, after a lengthy stay at Vibra Hospital. His journey ended after a long and winding road dealing with Marfan Syndrome which was filled with more bumps, detours, and delays than most ever face. In fact, he said that his whole life was “spent on minimum maintenance roads.” It was uneven, unpredictable, and oddly beautiful in its own way. And in the end, that road carried him home to his final destination. 

Born on August 14, 1972, he was the second of his biological siblings. In 1982, at the age of 10, he became the son of the late Gail Boice and Sandra Boice where he joined his biological siblings Teresa, Della, Jason, and an additional four, Marty, George, Sheila, and Dawn. LeRoy said that the day he was adopted was the best day of his life.Together they became a family of ten. 

LeRoy graduated from Lafayette High School in Red Lake Falls, and then the road took him down a variety of different paths. Throughout his life, he worked for numerous farmers where he was the jack of all trades and the master of quite a bit too. He was a CNA, a machinist, a janitor, a factory worker, a handyman, a gopher, and a lover of all things that were mechanical and required “cool” tools. However, LeRoy always managed to find his way back to a tractor, some dirt, an opportunity to work with the land. 

One of LeRoy’s happiest memories was when he met and fell in love with a little girl named Lora. She was the daughter of Shelly Putt, and even though Shelly was the third wheel for a while, they became a complete package on July 31st, 1993, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Milbank SD. On November 22, 1994, they were blessed with their son Zach making their family complete. In February of 1996, the little girl that first stole his heart officially became his daughter through adoption. The couple parted ways in November of 2003; however, the pair always put their kids first, and they worked together to make sure that Lora and Zach knew they were loved and supported by both of their parents. 

While living at Riverside Apartments and playing cards in the evenings, LeRoy once again found love. He and Roxanne Iverson shared conversations, played cards, and discovered that life together was better than life alone. The two shared their first date on December 17, 2012 and the rest was history. On February 13, 2019 the pair got engaged. LeRoy was so excited that he couldn’t wait until the 14th for Valentine’s Day so he popped the question early. They were married at Black River Lutheran Church in rural Red Lake Falls on August 10, 2019, surrounded by the kids, family, and friends. LeRoy loved to cook for, and take care of, Roxanne. Even though he knew that time was not on his side, he wanted his remaining days to be spent with her. In his last breaths he asked his family to make sure that she was cared for when he was gone. 

LeRoy was a hard worker and a big dreamer which were characteristics he handed down to his kids. He was a wealth of knowledge, a mechanic that learned his skills from his dad, a problem solver, and a collector of all things collectable. He was a hoarder of everything from Spam to Magic Erasers. If you needed anything, LeRoy was your man. He was always only a phone call or a Snap Chat video away and you were never a bother. He offered lots and lots of advice, some that you wanted, and some, maybe not so much. He loved to hunt and fish, especially with those that he loved. As a grandpa, he loved his hugs, the special treats, power pellets, and gummy worms . . . they were the best. LeRoy was a father and a grandfather that loved his children and their babies. He was a husband who adored his wife. He was a son, a brother, an uncle, and a friend. He knew that he might not live long, but he lived his life on the minimum road with the pedal to the metal fueled by Mt Dew and a spirit to live right to the very end. 

LeRoy is survived by his wife Roxanne who was his best friend, his children Lora (Dustin and Thorin) Kuchar and Zach (Emerae, Everley, and Zayden) Boice, mother Sandra Boice, and his siblings Marty, George, Sheila, Dawn, Teresa, Della, and Jason, in-laws, sister-in-laws Rosie and Rhonda, a bunch of nieces, nephews, and many close friends that were like family. He is preceded in death by his father Gail Boice, his grandparents Burdette and Gladys Boice, Victor and Dorene Nord, and his in-laws Leon and Sharon Iverson. 

A Celebration of Life will take place at Black River Lutheran Church in rural Red Lake Falls on Thursday, July 31st. A meal will be served from 5:00-6:30 with a memorial service to follow at 6:30. Please join our families as we honor a man that forever touched our lives.