Robert Boller, dentist, father of 7, priest

After the death of his wife, the Minneapolis man entered the seminary and served two Catholic parishes.

By WARREN WOLFE, Star Tribune

Last update: November 15, 2009 - 7:52 PM

During nearly 40 years as a dentist in north Minneapolis and raising a family of seven children, Robert Boller remained devoted to the church.

So it was not too much of a surprise to his family when soon after his wife, Eileen, died, Boller entered the seminary and at the age of 67 was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.

"At first we were really surprised because we didn't know he had heard the calling when he was a younger man, before he met our mother," said daughter Bobbie McMonagle. "We were so proud of him. He was a pretty remarkable man."

Boller died Monday at North Ridge Care Center in New Hope, where he had lived since 2005. He was 86.

In 1991, he explained his decision to undertake a second career after retiring: "After talking to some friends and my children, I decided that fishing and traveling are fine, but you can do that and still do something more productive, and you can serve."

After his ordination in 1991 by Archbishop John Roach at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Boller served as associate pastor at the Church of St. Joseph in West St. Paul until 1993, then pastor at Immaculate Conception Church in Watertown, Minn., until he retired in 1997.

"When he finally got his own parish, he said it was great, but he complained one day that he never seemed to get a day off," McMonagle said. "There's just no rest in that profession."

The Catholic Church has long ordained men with families after they are widowed, although Boller was among the older men to be ordained, said Dennis McGrath, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

"He was such an overachiever," McMonagle said. "One day he called from seminary to say he was working alongside these guys who were so much younger. He was mad he got a B on a paper, but I told him to ease up, for Pete's sake, because at least he was passing."

Before becoming a priest, Boller was a permanent deacon in his home parish.

Born in Minneapolis, Boller graduated from De La Salle High School in Minneapolis and received a bachelor's degree from St. John's University in Collegeville. After getting a dental degree from the University of Minnesota, he first practiced in the Army during World War II.

"After he became a priest, he was able to marry one of my sisters," McMonagle said. "Then he was able to baptize our babies and give them their first communions. That was truly a blessing."

A funeral service was held Friday. He is survived by daughters McMonagle, Bonnie Boller-Gormley, Katie Hickman and Maggie Graham; sons Joseph, Mark and Paul, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Staff writer Bob von Sternberg contributed to this report. Warren Wolfe • 612-673-7253

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