John Francis Boehnlein's Obituary
JOHN FRANCIS BOEHNLEIN, AGE 58, PASSED AWAY ON MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2025, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. Son of Francis George Boehnlein (deceased) and Mary A. Boehnlein, Ph. D (nee Maher). Loving father of Kimberly Alice Dye; brother of Gregory Joseph (Renee Wicks); cherished uncle of Brianna Nicole and Isabella Renee Boehnlein; and cousin of many of the Maher, Himes, Newhouse, and Smith families as well as his many friends including those in the music industry and from college days.
John graduated from Old Trail School and then St. Ignatius High School after attending his freshman year at the American School in Milan, Italy. He earned a BA in Communication from Cleveland State University. He crewed for one season on the H.M.S. Rose tall ship, and attended the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, CA for one year.
Whil in California he discovered his fellow students did not know how to set up and tune their guitars so he started Wilddutch's Guitar Hospital while teaching these same skills at the institute. He moved his business to Ohio where it thrived for over 30 years before closing in August, 2024.
He also established Innovative Guitar Products LLC which manufactured and sold several patented inventions, including a double whammy bar (The Flying Dutchman) and a bridge straightener (Bridget) available on Reverb.com. John authored two books; "The High Performance Marshall Handbook" re-printed in 2023 and "Basic Guitar Adjustments and Seups" published by the Hal Leonard Corporation. The latter has been translated into several languages and is sold worldwide.
John loved playing his many guitars, fishing, camping, reading, writing, and walking his his dog Angel. He also raised two of her pups; Butters and Dutchie. John played in several bands over the years, the last being Keller Hanna. He was a member of the Order of the Arrow of the Boy Scouts and editor of its newsletter for two years. He volunteered with the Special Olympics and served as assistant Cubscout master in Independence while still in high school.
FRIENDS RECEIVED IN THE VESTIBULE OF ST. MICHAEL CHURCH, 6912 CHESTNUT RD., INDEPENDENCE, OH ON SATURDAY, APRIL 5 FROM 10-11 AM. Mass of Christian burial to follow at 11 AM at the church.
Interment will be at Mapleshade Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice or to St. Michael Catholic Church Memorial Fund at the address above.
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