Ray Bosch poured his heart and soul into helping Medina make the transition from a rural farming community to a growing suburb.
After joining the Hennepin County water patrol in the early 1960s, he found his way onto the Medina City Council. On nights and weekends, he served as a patrol officer for the Medina Police Department.
All of that was in addition to the 40 or more hours he put in each week at Honeywell, his employer of 39 years.
Bosch, of Minnetonka, died April 20 at Regency Hospital in Golden Valley from complications from surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm last fall. He was 80.
"He was very community-minded, city-minded and civic-minded," said his daughter, Valerie Christianson, of Maple Grove.
"We lived in a rural community that had lots of issues that needed to be addressed. He wanted to help manage the growth; he wanted to be part of making the community better."
Bosch, who was born in Minneapolis, graduated in 1948 from Vocational High School, where he participated in track and field events and was president of the Student Council. He served two tours of duty in the Army in the late 1940s and early 1950s. His military duties included working as a courier delivering top- secret documents in Korea, his daughter said.
He started his professional career as a dock boy loading trucks at Honeywell in 1951. He worked at company plants around the Twin Cities as he rose to foreman, team leader and finally manager of building services. He retired in 1990.
