Obituaries : Robert Ray Boswell; Civic Leader, Entrepreneur

Robert Ray Boswell, a Tujunga civic leader and entrepreneur, has died.

Boswell died early Monday as a result of internal bleeding caused by a ruptured vein, according to Nina Royal, his companion of seven years. He was 55.

An Akron, Ohio, native, Boswell lived in Glendale for 25 years before settling in Tujunga in 1988. He devoted most of his time to civic matters after retiring as owner and operator of the Mid-City Granite construction company in Los Angeles.

“He was very much a community activist,” said Bill Wakeland, a deputy in Councilman Joel Wachs’ Tujunga field office. “Bob was always ready to step in and weigh in on behalf of his beliefs . . . he was a stand-up kind of guy.”

Boswell was involved with the Los Angeles Community Emergency Response Team and several Neighborhood Watch groups, including Sunland-Tujunga Involved Residents and the Sunland-Tujunga Citizens Patrol, both of which he co-founded with Royal.

Boswell is survived by his sons, Kenneth, of Simi Valley, and Garry, of San Diego; his brother, Bill, of Akron, and four grandchildren.

There will be a memorial service at 10 a.m. today at Our Lady of Lourdes church in Tujunga. A reception will follow at 1 p.m. at the Sunland-Tujunga Elks Lodge, 10137 Commerce Ave., Tujunga.