Grady Boatman; Longtime Oil Field Worker

Longtime oil field worker Grady Boatman of Ventura died Thursday in a local care center after a lengthy illness. He was 90.

The youngest of seven children, Boatman was born Sept. 27, 1906, in Braden, Okla. His parents were farmers and grew cotton and corn among other crops, according to his wife of 70 years, Ellen, 86.

When he was a year old, Boatman’s mother died, said his wife, who grew up on her parents’ farm 30 miles away.

“We met working on a field,” Ellen Boatman said. A mutual friend convinced them to go on a date--she was 14 and the oldest of 17 children, and he was 18.

A year later, they were married.

“We’re country kids and we’ve been married ever since we were little kids,” Boatman said.

Boatman recalls one of the most difficult times for them was the Great Depression. “We went through the Great Depression together, and it wasn’t funny. It was terrible,” she said.

The couple eventually moved to Kilgore, Texas, and then to Ventura in 1945. Grady went to work for Shell Oil and remained with the company for 20 years until his retirement in 1965. He spent 40 years in the oil industry, his wife said.

In 1975, Grady developed dementia, most likely Alzheimer’s disease, and his wife spent much time caring for him. When he became too ill to stay at home, Grady was placed in a skilled nursing facility, she said.

At no time during Grady’s illness did his wife give up her fight to keep him comfortable, Ellen said. “When you’re with someone that long, they’re a part of you,” she said.

“We needed one another and couldn’t get along without one another and somehow managed to stay together. I never thought about looking for someone else and neither did he, I suppose,” she said.

In addition to his wife, Boatman is survived by sons Charles of Citrus Heights and James E. and Wayne L., both of Ventura; half-brother John of Chowchilla; six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Friends may call Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura. Services will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home with the Rev. Sam Eubanks officiating.

Burial will follow in Ivy Lawn Memorial Park, Ventura.

Contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Assn., Ventura County chapter, 921 E. Main St., Ventura, CA 93001. Arrangements are under the direction of Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura.