Elwin "Al" Bostwick

Elwin (Al) was born in Caledonia, Michigan in 1924. He was the second child of John and Cecile Bostwick. Al grew up in Grand Rapids during the Depression with his 6 brothers and 1 sister. These hard days stayed with Al all his life.
At 17, Al was sent by the family to New Orleans, to say goodbye to his brother, Sydney, who was being deployed. Al worked at Walgreens on Canal Street, to earn money for the return trip to Michigan. It was there that he met and married the love of his life, Anna Mae Dufour, in 1943. When they were wed, he was 19 and was only days away from being deployed.
He served in the Army in the European Theatre during WWII. He served in Belgium, England, France, and Germany until his discharge. Stories of the hardships of the war remained private, until recently, when he began sharing some of his experiences with his family.
After discharge at Camp Shelby, Al was hired as a typesetter at Dement Printing Company in Meridian, Mississippi. Together, Al and Anna enjoyed the community and raised 2 daughters, Cecile and Mary. He loved his work and the people he worked with but a service related condition required an extended stay in the VA hospital in New Orleans.
In 1955, he started a small accounting business. The Accounting House, which started in the family living room, was a joint effort between Al and Anna. They both worked hard and the business grew into a respected accounting firm until it closed in 2011 due to Alʼs health problems.
With Anna having passed earlier, Al came to live with his eldest daughter and her family in Gulfport. He worshiped, with the family at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church but was not able to continue with his decades of work with the Knights of Columbus. After a long illness, Al died peacefully on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at Lakeview Nursing Center.
He is survived by his daughters Cecile (Bostwick) Arleth her husband Curtis Arleth, Mary (Bostwick) Ales and her husband Merrick Ales, Sr.; his grandchildren, Christopher Arleth, Melissa Arleth, Ashley (Ales) Rice and her husband Bryon Rice, and Merrick Ales, Jr. and his wife Christen Ales. He is also survived by 4 great grandchildren Adelyn Rice, Thompson Rice, Micah Ales and Mason Ales. He is, also, survived by his much loved dog, Lola, who will be caring for the Arleths.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, February 12, 2016, at 10:30am at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Gulfport, where family and friends may visit from 9am until Mass. He will be laid to rest next to Anna in a family plot at Gardens of Memories Cemetery, Metairie, Louisiana.
Riemann Family Funeral Home, 11280 Three Rivers Road in Gulfport, served the family.
Tributes may be offered at www.riemannfamily.com