John Leon Boler

John Leon Boler (Leon) passed away on April 17, 2026 in Saint Paul Minnesota at the age of 70 after a four year battle with ALS. A loving husband and father, affectionate son and brother, loyal friend, and beloved teacher, Leon lived a life motivated by compassion for others and respect for the earth we all inhabit.

Born November 15, 1955, the fourth child in a brood of ten, he attended Catholic schools until the family moved to Southeast Minneapolis when he was 12. There he attended Marshall-University middle school and high school. He liked to say he went from being the problem kid at private school to the star pupil at Marshall U. He played football, hockey, and a bit of basketball, and was elected homecoming king with lobbying help from five siblings who also attended the school. The friendships he forged during those years lasted his lifetime.

Leon loved reading and learning and had a passion for science and history. He earned a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 1983, a master's degree in Science Education in 1993 and a master's degree in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering in 2004.

While he valued science, Leon's heart's calling was to work with kids. In the 1970s and 80s, he worked at St. Joseph's Home for Children and as a case worker for the Big Brother/Big Sister program. During the summers, he worked at the Big Brother/Big Sister program in northern Minnesota at Kamp Kitchi Kahniss, first as a camp counselor (78,79) and then as camp director (83, 84, 86, 87). Later he worked summers at Camp COCO (86-92), a camp for children with cancer or other blood diseases, and then Camp Care-A-Lot for underprivileged kids (93-97). He made such an impact on many of these campers that they continued to contact and visit him regularly, right through his illness.

Leon had a creative mind and an entrepreneurial streak. In 1983, while traveling in Europe, he got an idea for a game while playing Trivial Pursuit (which he was never good at). The world was at the height of cold war tension and he thought the opposite of Trivial Pursuit would be Nuclear Escape- a game in which players formed teams to negotiate nuclear arms treaties and either disarm the planet or put it in imminent danger of nuclear war. He soon left his day job to focus on developing his Nuclear Escape game. His final product made it into the game stores in the mid-1980s. Leon updated the game 40 years later during his illness, creating Nuclear Escape 2.0.

In the 1990s, Leon combined his two passions-nature and nurturing kids-by becoming a science teacher in the Minneapolis Public Schools. He communicated his love for the earth and desire to care for it through his engaging science lessons and unique, hands-on experiences, including taking middle schoolers on camping trips to places like Wolf Ridge and Lanesboro.

In his second year of teaching Leon met his wife, Annamary, a fellow teacher and kindred spirit. After they married in 1997, they moved to Egypt where they taught at the American International School of Cairo. While abroad, they took every opportunity to travel and marvel at the beauty and diversity of the planet. Their son, Stephen, was born in Egypt in 2000.

After three years teaching abroad, Leon and Annamary and Stephen returned to the United States, where daughter Amira was born. Leon went back to teaching in Minneapolis Public Schools and developed the E4Effort smartphone app for teachers that encourages student achievement. Piles of cards and letters sent by his students over the years attest to the impact he made on their lives, particularly in instilling a love of science. He retired from teaching in 2018, though he continued working on E4Effort.

Leon was a wonderful husband and dad. He attended his kids' sports events, plays, and concerts. He took his family on many trips to the Boundary Waters and across the United States, instilling in his children a love of nature and an appreciation for all they have been given. He enjoyed home improvement projects, turning part of the backyard into a basketball court, installing solar panels, and refinishing woodwork.

In the fall of 2022, Leon was diagnosed with ALS. While the diagnosis was difficult, he accepted his fate with his customary humor and grace. The first year he traveled to Alaska with his son, Mexico with his daughter, Canada with his wife, California with his brother, and took an extended family trip to the Boundary Waters. When he could no longer walk, he enjoyed taking his electric wheelchair outside for long rolls around the neighborhood. In the fall of 2025, he made one last trip to the Boundary Waters with his family, staying at an accessible cabin.

A viewing of the movie Oppenheimer in 2023 inspired Leon to relook at his game Nuclear Escape. With feedback from friends and family, he revised the game and created a new version on the Game Crafter website. Since he was unable to use his hands, he painstakingly created all the graphics using eye gaze glasses and a bite-switch. Nuclear Escape 2.0 is now available at https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/nuclear-escape

Leon spent his last months reaping what he had sowed, surrounded with love and goodness. Past students, high school and work friends, and family visited him in a constant stream. His loving wife was always at his side making it possible for him to live his life to its fullest. His ability to accept his illness as it was, without complaint, inspired all those around him. He chose to live and die by the motto "why not me" as he spoke of his gratitude for a life well lived. His final act as a teacher was to donate his brain and spinal cord to ALS research at the University of Minnesota.

Leon is survived by his wife, Annamary Boler, son, Stephen, daughter, Amira; siblings: Steve (Katie), Jean (John), Fran (Rob), Jim (Maggie), Mary (Ross), Margie (Bob), Ted (Lulu), Patty, Dan (Simona); 49 nieces and nephews, and innumerable friends. A celebration of his life will be held at Langford Park in St. Paul on July 18, 2026, at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the ALS Association of Minnesota or the Friends of the Superior National Forest where donations made in memory of Leon Boler will be directed to the conservation and care of the BWCA.