Boles Lee Taft

Boles Lee Taft, 93 of Washington, died Sunday, July 19, 2020 at Standish’s Assisted Living. He was born August 19, 1926 in New Salem, PA, the son of the late Franciszek “Frank” Oleskiewicz and Antoinette Belniak Oleskiewicz. Boles was a graduate of Uniontown Senior High School and was the sole proprietor of his own landscaping company. He enjoyed growing flowers, vegetables and was a very hard worker, who never complained. On August 16, 1950, he married, June Johnson, who died July 15, 2006. Surviving are a son, Jeffrey Taft of Washington; a daughter, Sue Ann Jeffco of Baytown, TX; a grandson, David Jeffco; a brother, Leonard Taft; a sister, Joan Zeppo. When I was a kid, my father and his brothers built a house that my family lived in. Later on, my father added a garage to the house by himself. He said to me at one point, “When you do something like this, what do you think you pick up first: a shovel or a pencil?” Then he said something else that stuck with me all this time - “Of course, I know some people who try to hang the windows first. Don’t be one of those ‘hang the windows first guys.’ ” I have told this story many times in my work with the electric utility industry and it has been widely appreciated and quoted by utility engineers, executives, and regulators to help the electric utilities sort out how to plan upgrades for the 21st Century electric system. My dad has become famous, not by name, but because this story is referenced time and again throughout the industry. – Jeffrey Taft Due to state-mandated Covid-19 restrictions, all services are private.