John Boelsma was born at the Hornstra Farm (formerly the Jordan Farm) in Hingham to immigrant parents Jacoba Boelsma (Hornstra) and Harmen Boelsma in April 1930. Though he spent nearly his entire lifetime on Pond Street in East Bridgewater, he was a curious traveler from the get-go. Before he was school age, he would accompany his dad on errands for the Boelsma Dairy Farm and learned every back road on the south shore.

At three years old, he would ride his tricycle to visit the neighbors, who lived half a mile from home, and at five, he drove a farm truck to help bring in the hay. He bought a Model T Ford when he was thirteen. His birthday was on Patriots’ Day, and the only time that frustrated him was when he couldn’t get his driver’s permit on the day of his 16th birthday. Patriots’ Day was on Friday, so he had to wait until Monday to go to the Registry. He had already been driving all over the neighboring towns, doing errands for the farm for years, and was eager to make it official.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry at UMass Amherst and graduated in 1952. Tuition was free at UMass in those days – but you had to pay for books. He learned how to ski at college and continued that pursuit for the next fifty-some-odd years.

It was Valentine’s Day in 1959 that brought about the most important change in his life. He got a phone number from his sister-in-law. She had met a girl at the hair salon that morning who was freshly single and hoping not to spend Valentine’s Day dateless. He called her for a blind date. That girl, Peggy Murphy, would be his partner for the rest of his life.

Peggy and John were married in September 1960. They both worked for a couple of years to save money to finance a house. John got a piece of the farm property, cleared the trees, and took them to the farm’s sawmill, where he made them into lumber. He had no experience with construction, but he had a sharp mind, and with the help of a few friends, he built a 3-bedroom cape-style house that would be his home for the next 64 years.

They welcomed two daughters, and he was a girl-dad before that was a thing. He worked long hours at the farm every day, but always had plenty of patience and room on his lap for his girls, who adored him.

Life moved into high gear in the 1980’s when the farm was sold, and the world traveling began. John and Peggy took dozens of trips and traveled extensively around Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, saw the Pyramids, went to Turkey, and took a 24-day cruise in the Mediterranean. They visited 45 of the 50 United States, saw the Northern Lights, and experienced the midnight sun. They had a lifelong love of the arts and frequented theaters, museums, and gardens. His love of flowers and plants provided a hobby for growing bulbs, perennials, and annuals at home to mimic the English gardens he so loved to visit.

In addition to travel and gardens, John was passionate about ice cream. Family lore says his grandmother Hornstra gave him his first taste at six months old. He never met a flavor he didn’t like. He was a lifelong fan and was incredibly proud when his Hornstra cousins bought Peaceful Meadows in Whitman. He was always eager to stop in for a cone either there or in Norwell.

He remained active well into his eighties – bicycling, skiing, gardening, even painting his house at eighty years old in anticipation of his 50th wedding anniversary celebration. John believed a life well-lived was measured in love and experiences. He knew just how lucky he was to have had both in great abundance.

John passed away on February 18, 2026. Just a few days prior, he spent his 67th Valentine’s Day with the love of his life, eating a specially requested meal (prepared by his daughter Lynn and son-in-law Michael) of tenderloin steak, scalloped potatoes, and candied carrots. The family reminisced while looking at old Valentine’s cards and photos in the home he built with his own two hands.

The ones who will miss him the most are his wife Peggy, daughter Lynn and her husband Michael, daughter Jill and her husband Carl, and his grand dog Petey. He will also be missed by family, friends, and his Dutch relatives in Friesland – the ancestral home of his parents.

We will celebrate John’s life in April, when the spring flowers he loved return to Pond Street.