Browning Boggs, 89, of Franklin, West Virginia passed away Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at the UVA University
Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia.
He was born June 28, 1933, and was the son of the late Raymond and Virginia Browning Boggs.
In elementary school, Browning was a recipient of the Golden Horseshoe. He was a graduate of Washington Irving
High School in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and graduated from West Virginia University, where he was a member of the
Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was a Veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force, where he achieved the rank of Staff
Sergeant.
He worked for the Federal Systems Division of IBM, was a field engineer at Bendix, and retired from the U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory in 1999. For a period, his work was at the Sugar Grove Naval Station.
Browning purchased the McCoy House, which had previously been used as the town office and the local library. It is
on the National Register of Historic Places and dates to 1848. He began restoration of the property as a personal
residence.
An accomplished musician, a pianist, he played for many years at the Franklin Presbyterian Church, where he served
on the Church Session, a Ruling Elder. He frequently played for weddings, funerals and for the residents at the
nursing home.
Browning served on the Franklin Town Council, and among other duties, was responsible for Cedar Hill Cemetery. He
took an active interest in restoring the tombstones, and he worked to establish the title to the cemetery. He also
served the community as the Salvation Army contact person for many years.
Browning served as Vice-President of the Pendleton County Historical Society for a term beginning in 2000. He later
served as Society Treasurer. He undertook many projects benefitting the Society. In 2009, he was selected as a
West Virginia History Hero, joining 43 honorees from across the state at the Capitol in Charleston.
Browning was a descendant of Captain John Boggs of the Pendleton Home Guards in the Civil War, and the
Pendleton delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1862 which created the state of West Virginia. Browning and
Dr. Charles Boggs, Jr. updated the volume Boggs Descendants of Pendleton County West Virginia, a valuable
genealogical reference. In 1997, he served on a state committee for a reunion of WV Golden Horseshoe honorees,
for this unique state program started in 1931. Browning produced a complete list of Pendleton County honorees. It
was the only complete list from any county in the state – an example of his dedication to the task at hand. He was
interested in local Pendleton stories and participated in Storytelling sessions at the Treasure Mountain Festival.
Browning enjoyed daily walks, spending time at the Pendleton Senior Center and was a familiar face at The Korner
Shop Café.
A brother, Joseph Mason Boggs, and an aunt, Mildred Boggs, preceded him in death.
Surviving are –
Nieces – Rebecca Jo Boggs Earles, Sarah Jackson, and Ann Spurio
Nephews – Michael David Boggs and Scott Mason Boggs
Special Friends –
Carole Geddes
Ann Boggs Elliott and Ward Elliott
A number of cousins
And a host of longtime friends in Franklin
The family will receive friends from 1:00 – 2:00 PM Sunday, October 16, 2022 at Franklin Presbyterian Church, where
a funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday with Pastor Deborah Beam officiating.
Interment will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Franklin, with military honors by the U. S. Air Force.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Franklin Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 486, Franklin, WV 26807 or
Pendleton County Historical Society, P. O. Box 293, Franklin, WV 26807.