Alicia R. Boes

Some people live long lives, scattered here and there with triumphs and achievements. Others, like Alicia Boes, are granted a short time on earth, but are able to fill every day of their lives with energy, life and love. Alicia had a great outlook on life and always looked for the humor in the every day trials of living. She had a generous spirit and loved to give of her time and talents. Alicia was a ray of sunshine for those close enough to receive the gift of her warmth. Alicia Raye Boes was born on October 9, 1986, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to proud parents, Timothy and Cynthia (Brokstad) Boes. On the day baby Alicia was to come home from the hospital, her mother, Cyndi, waited patiently with their new bundle of joy, wondering what was taking Tim so long to get there. Well, Tim had some fishing on his mind (he loved fishing) and stopped off at the Grand River before heading to the hospital. He did catch a big steelhead trout, but that didn't really smooth things over with Cyndi. Alicia was welcomed home by her older sister, Kristina. Growing up, the two of them undoubtedly filled the house with their share of laughter, arguments and memories. When Alicia was two, the family moved to the Muskegon area, and lived on Davis Road in Norton Shores. As a young girl, Alicia was pretty much a tomboy and played lots of sports. Yet, she undeniably had the most beautiful eyes - "eyes that could tell a story." Her Uncle John said her laugh started in her eyes. Always looking for something fun, Alicia had a habit of roaming just out of sight of her family, so everyone was always asking, "Where's Alicia?" Once in school, Alicia put her boundless energy into being a good student at Churchill School. Alicia had such a spontaneous personality, and loved to laugh and have fun. Yet, at home, her room was always meticulously organized. Everything had its place, and she knew if it had been moved. She would even sleep on top of the covers sometimes just so they wouldn't get messed up. Alicia's father was a big inspiration to her when it came to playing sports. He was an avid softball player, and she and her mom and sister spent many summers cheering him on at his games at Softball World. Many times Grandpa Boes would come too, and took the girls for walks around the fields to get some pent up energy out. The out-of-state games were the best though because they stayed in a hotel and swam in the pool. Alicia also got her love for the outdoors from her dad; he took fishing alot and hunting a few times. On one brief deer hunting trip to Uncle Mark and Maria's property she was following her dad through the woods checking the tracks. She was told to stay back but followed her dads foot prints in the snow and it was quite a sight when five does ran by. Alicia would pretty much try anything once. She took ballet lessons at Cassell Studios, learned to play the violin and flute, and played soccer from a young age. Alicia was a tremendous soccer player and went on to play soccer all through high school. When Alicia was 13, their family grew to include her new baby brother, Caleb. The girls loved to dote on little Caleb and babysat him whenever asked. As he got older, Alicia enjoyed going to his Little League games and helping him to play X-Box games. Time together as a family was always important and they enjoyed many vacations over the years. On spring break, they would head down south to South Carolina to visit Uncle John and Aunt Jeanne, then travel down the coast to Sanibel Island, Florida, to their grandparents' timeshare for some fun in the sun. They also enjoyed camping during the summer and often went with five other families from their church to parks near Beulah, Michigan, among others. Alicia and her family were active members of Lakeside Baptist Church, where Alicia was involved with the youth group, Awana, and enjoyed several retreats. At the age of ten, Alicia and her family went on a missionary trip to Tijuana, Mexico, to help build houses. Alicia helped by carrying wood to the sites, but enjoyed playing with the village children too. She later had the opportunity to attend two church sponsored activities at the World View Academy in Minnesota, and went on another mission trip with her Grandpa Boes to the Philippines, where they tutored the natives in the English language and visited rural villages. Even when she was many miles from home, Alicia's thoughts were on her family, and she always brought small gifts back for each of them. In 2003 Alicia and her family were sent to help start a new church called The Journey, where they currently attend. While at The Journey she was also an active participant, working in the nursery and playing on their coed softball team. Alicia attended Mona Shores High School, and once again excelled as a student and surprised her family when she took an AP statistics course. Aside from her academics, Alicia enjoyed being on the soccer team, played volleyball for few years and learned how to play tennis and golf. Like her father, she was a natural at softball, but only played in the summer on the church team. In addition to sports, Alicia sang in the school choir and was a proud member of the Singing Christmas Tree for four years. After graduating in 2005, Alicia went on to attend Muskegon Community College for a year and then transferred to Baker College to pursue studies as a Physical Therapy Assistant. Meanwhile, she worked part-time as a cashier at Plumb's Grocery Store on Sherman Blvd. Alicia had the type of personality that everyone loved to be around. She had many special friends she hung around with in high school and new ones that she met in college. More recently, however, Alicia had been dating Richie Harley for a few weeks, and they were enjoying getting to know each other. This past weekend, the two went four wheeling up north in Mason County and were in a tragic accident, in which both of them lost their lives. Alicia Boes was destined to make her mark in the hearts of her cherished family and friends. Although her time here on earth was short, it is a gift none of her family will ever forget. Alicia Raye Boes, age 20, of Norton Shores, MI, died unexpectedly on Saturday, January 13, 2007. She is survived by her parents, Tim & Cyndi Boes; sister, Kristina Boes; brother, Caleb Boes; grandparents, Charles & Leila Brokstad of Muskegon, Dave & Betty Boes of Muskegon; aunts & uncles, Craig Brokstad, Jeanne (John) Jones, Sandra (John) Martin, Charles (Kendra) Brokstad, Mark (Maria) Boes, Erik (Kristi) Boes & Bonnie Boes; many cousins & friends. Service for Alicia will be held on Wednesday, January 17, at 10:30 a.m. at Lakeside Baptist Church with Rev. Ken Shady, Rev. Paul Urban & Rev. Matt Lewis officiating. Interment at Norton Cemetery. Friends and relatives may visit with her family on Tuesday, January 16, from 1-3 & 7-9 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. Memorial contributions may be made to the Student Missions at the Journey Church. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory or photo of Alicia or sign the online guestbook.