James Boccio Sr., an Antioch icon well known for making a difference and volunteering numerous hours of his time, died Sept. 8 at his home after a short illness. He was 95.
The three-time Antioch Citizen of the Year award winner — including once for lifetime achievement — was one of the co-founders of the Antioch Sports Legends Museum and a longtime supporter of the Antioch Historical Society, having helped to secure and renovate the former Riverview Union High School as its new museum some 20 years ago.
“Mr. Boccio was a pillar and an icon in the history of Antioch,” said Eddie Beaudin, a co-founder of Antioch Sports Legends Museum. “I will always remember him for making a difference for the good in Antioch. His accomplishments, you can’t list them all. I never heard him say ‘no.’ ”
Born in Connecticut but raised in Antioch, Boccio graduated from Antioch High School in 1943 and later earned an associate’s degree from Diablo Valley College. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and worked as a maintenance supervisor at DuPont for 30 years.
“He just absolutely loved the community,” his daughter Norma Spagopulous said.
While still working full time, the energetic father of four bought the former Fulton Shipyard bar The Ramp, hoping to make it into a family restaurant. But Boccio thought it needed something unique, so in 1982 he bought an old Santa Fe caboose, transported it by train from Selma and renovated it into a dining car, which still stands today although another family manages the landmark eatery dubbed The Red Caboose.
Spagopulous said her father was a “huge family man” who loved gathering with relatives, visiting Lake Tahoe, boating and waterskiing on the Delta and traveling with his wife, Phyllis.
“My father and mother were the most social people I know,” she said. “He just loved to be around people.”
Always athletic, Boccio in his later years became a runner, competing in marathons and less intense races such as the Bay to Breakers, his daughter said. He ran daily along the riverfront up until he was 85.
Elizabeth Rimbault, a member of the Antioch Historical Society and Antioch Woman’s Club, said Boccio drew on his large family and friends whenever he needed help on a project or to promote a cause.
In the 1970s, he was instrumental with others in convincing city officials to allow the Antioch Historical Society to move into the former Carnegie Library downtown.
Later, in the 1990s, when the museum outgrew its space, Rimbault said Boccio and others helped convince the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors not to sell the former Riverview Fire District offices/ high school to the highest bidder. He and others carried “You Can’t Sell our History” protest signs to the steps of the museum on auction day, convincing potential buyers not to bid on it. The group later acquired it through a silent auction.
Once the group took ownership of the former school and fire district offices, Boccio led the charge to clean up the “seriously abused” interior, Rimbault said, noting he and his volunteers physically removed “tons of abandoned wires” during renovations.
“When Jim asked a favor of you, you automatically felt you had to contribute. That building was literally rebuilt by Jim and other volunteers,” she said of the five-time Antioch Historical Society president.
Boccio also spearheaded efforts to raise money and erect a bronze statue in honor of the city’s cannery workers, women who worked in Antioch’s canneries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Already in his 70s, Boccio again helped when he discovered that the historic Woman’s Club clubhouse needed new plumbing, Riimbault said. “He literally dug the trench himself all the way from the back of the building,” she said.
Boccio was also an active member of Holy Rosary Church and School, serving in several leadership roles, was president of the Antioch High School Parents Club, chairman of the Antioch Drug Council, a volunteer for St. Vincent De Paul and the Bedford Center.
He also helped co-found the Sports Legends Museum and its Hall of Fame program to commemorate Antioch’s best athletes and coaches, along with four others, including leader Tom Menasco. He would be inducted into the hall himself in 2018.
“He was one of those guys you could go to war with — you could always count on him,” Menasco said. “He really represents the finest of his generation. His legacy was that he was hardworking and he organized many things in the community.”
“He was always soft-spoken but he pushed everyone else to be their better person,” Rimbault said.
“He was a cheerleader for the community, he was an absolute pillar,” she added. “There are going to be many people and organizations that will be on hard times because they don’t have Jim Boccio. He had the sense of community that is so lacking these days.”
Boccio is survived by his wife of 71 years, Phyllis; daughters Norma Spagopulos (Ted) Spagopulos, Rosemary Boccio Baker, and Nancie Boccio and husband David Williams; and one son, Dr. Jim (Donna) Boccio, as well as nine grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his two sisters, Teresa Johnson of Pleasanton and Margie Bella of Riverside. Two other siblings, Pat Boccio and Pauline Furno, preceded him in death.
Private services are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to or volunteering at the Antioch Historical Society or the Bedford Center.