Clarence Boncher & Myrtle
M. ?
Clarence BONCHER (MASSEY) was born October 4th, 1913, in Humbolt, Brown county, Wisconsin. Clarence was the second son of Joseph Henry MASSEY and Mary Louise LEURQUIN. The story goes that he used the BONCHER surname (belonging to his maternal grandmother) because his father Joseph Henry died in 1917, leaving his family in the care of his mother - Margaret Catherine BONCHER. Mary Louise remarried after Josephs death in 1920 (see Theophile Balza Family History).
Myrtle M.(unknown surname) (her nickname was Boots)
Clarence was a time keeper for the Work Project Agency (WPA) during the depression. he met and married Boots and had three children as follows:
- Sharon BONCHER who marred a MIRCH.
- Dawn BONCHER who marred a WALKER.
- Lenore BONCHER who married a FITTS.
The family moved to California in 1942. (at the same time that his brother Norbert was recalled into the Army). In California he went to work for General Eletric (G.E.)as a tool and die maker. Early in his career at G.E.he slipped on a floor and dislocated his hip. The doctors never replaced the hip in the socket and it eventually caused the hip to disintegrate, forcing Clarence to have a hip replacement. Clarence became a member of the Church of Scientology. He eventually became a minister and therapist helping young people. For many years he lived on Skyline Boulivard outside of Los Gatos. He is immoratlized in the song "Clarence" by David Pommerance a young singer he befriended.
Boots was a speech therapy teacher in the Santa Clara School District for 16 years. Boots - Myrtle M ? died at the age of 57 (obituary).
On July 23rd, 1996, in a depression, he took his own life by shooting himself with a shotgun (obituary).
Memories:
MASSEYAncestry 
The eldest known Massey ancestor at this time is John MASSEY ( ) who married Mary Katherine BONCHER ( ) (John Massey Family History).
They had at least one child, Joseph
Henry MASSEY ( ) who married Mary Louise LEURQUIN (1894 -
1967). Joseph and Mary had three sons. The second son was
Clarence BONCHER (Massey) who is described above.
LEURQUIN Ancestry
The LEURQUIN surname is very much a research in progress. The origin of the Leurquin family like the Balza family is Belgium. According to the immigration records they come from the area around the city of Temploux. Our earliest known Leurquin ancestor is Desire LEURQUIN (1824 - 1910) who married Cecelia BOURNONVILLE (1830 - 1918). Together they had four children (Desire Leurquin Family History). The third child of this union was Dieu Donni LEURQUIN (1865 - 1935) who married Victoria MARTIN (1871 - 1936). Dieu Donni and Victoria raised ten children (Dieu Donni Leurquin Family History). The second of these children was Mary Louise LEURQUIN (1894 - 1967) who first married Joseph Henry MASSEY and had three sons (Frank, Clarence and Norbert) - Clarence is described above.
? Ancestry
Myrtle M. ? (Surname unknown)
? Ancestry
Maternal Mother's surname unknown.
Last updated: January 15th, 2000
Copyright 2000, Richard M. Balza
To make corrections or obtain more information contact: Richard M. Balza