Dr. Raymond Boniface

POLAND — Dr. Raymond Sesti Boniface, 95, of Poland, passed away on Sunday, March 1, 2020.

He was born on Aug. 6, 1924, in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa. He was part of a large family of one brother and five sisters who had a strong influence on his life and guided him through much of his educational endeavors.

Dr. Boniface was a graduate of Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh and Duquesne University in 1948, where he studied German and Biology.

His academic career was interrupted by military service in World War II, where he served in the United States Army as a rifleman with the 83rd Infantry Division in Belgium, Holland and Germany and as a replacement of the casualties of the Battle of the Bulge. He earned two battle stars while serving with the 83rd Division. He then served one year during the Army occupation.

After returning from the war and completing his undergraduate degree, he received his medical degree from the University of Bologna in Italy, began his medical internship in 1952 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, opened his general medical practice in 1954, and then specialized in psychiatry in 1968 after a further medical residency at Western Psychiatric Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Boniface was a consummate physician who loved and was loved by his patients.

His life will forever be cherished by his loving wife of 65 years, Jacqueline Marie Clair; his children, Raymond (Nancy Gantt) Boniface of Youngstown, Phyllis (Robert Steele) Boniface of Ypislanti, Mich., Thomas (Elisabeth Young) Boniface of Youngstown, Juliet (Jonathan) Krassenstein of Pittsburgh, Carla (Doug) Devlin of Pittsburgh, James (Christine) Boniface of Youngstown, Diane (John) Hopper of Bluffton, S.C. and Robert (Amy) Boniface of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; 28 grandchildren; and surviving sisters, Lillian Paciotta and Dolores Boniface, both of Pittsburgh.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Filomina and Sesti Bonifacio; his brother, Ettore; and his sisters, Matilda, Gilda and Geneva.

The family extends its deep gratitude to Dr. Santuccio Ricciardi and to Hospice of the Valley.

Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2020, at Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Poland Chapel.

A Mass of Christian burial will be 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, 2020, at Holy Family Catholic Church, followed by interment at Poland Riverside Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory to Hospice of the Valley, 5190 Market St., Youngstown, Ohio 44512 or Raymond and Jacqueline Boniface/Young Scholarship Endowment, c/o Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) Foundation, 4209 St. Rt. 44, Rootstown, Ohio 44272, https://www.neomed.edu/give/bluefund

Condolences may be shared at www.higgins-reardon.com.