May 20 service for Wallace Boquist

Wallace P. Boquist, a longtime resident of Lincoln passed away in Lexington on April 8, 2022 after a short illness. He was 89 years old.  

Wallace was born to Irene and Paul Boquist in Minneapolis, where he and his sister Barbara grew up. He attended Washburn High School before driving his jalopy to Cambridge to attend MIT to study what his classmates called “unclear” (nuclear) physics.   

Before settling at Fairhaven Bay, Wallace traveled the world, from Alaska to Argentina and from Samoa to Russia. He served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army and was a keen student of World War II and Cold War history. During his professional career, Wallace launched two successful companies supporting field research for the defense of the United States.

Wallace lived a life of contrasts. He worked on atomic tests in the Pacific and was a lover of nature, feeding and creating safe havens for the wildlife on his property. He lived alone but regularly enjoyed impromptu social gatherings at the Colonial Inn and Chang An in Concord. He studied nuclear physics but spent his time tinkering with innumerable carpentry projects around his home while listening to ragtime jazz. For many years, he and his German shorthaired pointer Greta were inseparable. More than a few of the shops in Concord with “no pets allowed” signs secretly kept dog biscuits to give to Greta when the pair made their Saturday morning rounds. 

Wallace is survived by his son, Gregory, his sister Barbara, and niece Kim.  

Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate Wallace’s life during a memorial visitation on Friday, May 20 from 3:30–5:30 p.m. in the Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford St., Concord. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, 208 South Great Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 or the MSPCA–Angell, Attn: Donations, 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord. To share a remembrance or to offer a condolence in his online guestbook, please click here.