A son's hilarious eulogy for his late father has gone viral.
Charles Boehm, 41, wrote a scathing, sarcastic tribute last week, days after the death of 74-year-old Robert Adolph Boehm.
Its anecdotes, sometimes bordering on the offensive, paint a picture of a grumpy old truck driver who died swearing in his Clarendon. Texas apartment October 6.
From there comes a 585-word memoir, with the tact of a full court press.
The resulting banter only a son could deliver and attracted hundreds of eyes. It begins with one of many stabs intended to ridicule the man in question – written by his son under the guise of a smile.
Charles Boehm, 41, wrote a scathing, sarcastic tribute last week, days after the death of 74-year-old Robert Adolph Boehm.
Robert can be seen here with his late wife Dianne, daughter-in-law Kim and son Charles in better times.
“Robert Adolph Boehm, in keeping with his lifelong commitment to his own brand of decency, muttered his last incomprehensible and probably unnecessary curse on October 6, 2024,” Boehm begins.
“(It happened) shortly before she tripped over 'some stupid motherly thing' and hit her head on the floor,” he added.
Boehm begins to delve into the details of his father's life, including how he impregnated and married his mother, Dianne, as a teenager before eventually becoming a full-time truck driver.
This allowed him to get exempt from the Vietnam War draft – which Boehm hit home with when his mission was to cook a merciless roast.
He wrote how, after giving birth to an older brother and two sisters, Robert, “probably concerned about the brewing conflict in Grenada,” fathered a fourth child – himself.
“This lack of military service was probably for the best, because when he took up shooting as a hobby in his later years, he managed to punch not one, but two holes in the dashboard of his own car on two separate occasions,” Boehm writes.
“(It) unfortunately did not even frighten, let alone surprise, his dear wife Dianne, who was used to such events in his presence and may have been safer in the Vietnamese jungle all this time.”
The Texan native, who said he was inspired by a similarly unforgiving obituary he saw in 2019, went on to recall Robert's exploits as a young father “while the world was in conflict elsewhere,” which included learning how to roof and maintain street signs.
Boehm told The Washington Post that the tribute was made in jest and that his dad worked with the community after being left to fend for himself following his wife's death in February
Robert then began his career as a semi-professional truck driver – a profession that Boehm denies “should not be confused with a professional semi-truck driver.”
In this quiet life, “Robert's attention, counterintuitively, turned to weapons of war,” Boehm recalled, writing about how his dad became interested in collecting weapons used in conflicts throughout history.
“There are so many examples of mainstream hobby items in his small apartment in Clarendon, Texas, that one of them might as well have been the item mentioned in the eloquent final epitaph mentioned above,” he then jokes.
“He also had a passion for fashion, and was often seen around town wearing the latest trend of homemade leather loafers, an extensive collection of unconventional hats, and boldly mismatched shirts and trousers.”
Boehm recalls that his dad also had a wide selection of harmonicas on hand.
However, they were “not intended for personal amusement,” the grieving man wrote, but instead “stimulated his beloved dogs to howl constantly at odd hours of the night to entertain his numerous neighbors.”
At other times, he gave portable instruments to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren “so they could play loudly on long trips with their parents,” Boehm recalls ruefully.
The article then turns a bit serious, pointing out that Robert's wife of over half a century – his mother – died in February this year.
“Up until now, we have all done our best to enjoy and endure Robert's antics, but now he is God's problem,” Boehm concluded, noting the retired truck driver's checkered legacy
This moment is only fleeting, however, as Boehm intends to classify this event as “God finally showed mercy” – “dragging her to the devil from (their home) in search of some well-deserved peace.”
This deprived Robert of a Dianne who could happily entertain, his son writes – describing how the retired truck driver “shifted his creative attention to entertaining you, the wonderful people of Clarendon.”
“If you haven't met Robert yet or seen him on tour in the last eight months, you probably would soon,” he says of his dad's recent activities.
“Up until now, we have all done our best to enjoy and endure Robert's antics, but now he is God's problem.”
On Monday, a few days after the obituary – Boehm's first – was published, the family held a funeral in Amarillo.
Countless comments have poured in since then, all singing its praises.
The story was then picked up by the Washington Post, which then interviewed Boehm.
He said the tribute was made in jest on behalf of a man he loved dearly, who was left to fend for himself after being without a wife for so many years.
“I have to say that if I want something to come out of all of this, it's for people everywhere to support the mental health of people in small rural towns,” Boehm said. “They come there to retire, and when they grow up, their children will disperse and they will be left alone. Many people slip through the cracks
“I have to say that if I want something to come out of all of this, it's for people everywhere to support the mental health of people in small rural towns,” Boehm said.
“They come there to retire, and when they grow up, their children will disperse and they will be left alone. Many people slip through the cracks.
He told the newspaper that “we have to look after them.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Boehm for comment.
