Colton James Boynton

Colton James Boynton, 33 years old, of Blencoe, Iowa.

March 25, 1992–presumed deceased as of May 24, 2025

Colton James Boynton–known to most as, Cole–has been missing since a boat accident on the Missouri River on May 24, 2025, and has been presumed deceased. He was last seen spending time with his family and friends on the Missouri River, doing what he loved most. Though his life was tragically cut short, it was a life well-lived.

A memorial service will be 1:00 P.M. Friday, July 25, 2025 at the First Christian Church, Onawa, Iowa with Jack Gibler, officiating. A live stream of the service will be posted on the Goslar Funeral Home website with Cole’s obituary. Luncheon and fellowship will follow the service at the Onawa Country Club, Onawa, Iowa. Arrangements are under the direction of Goslar Funeral Home and Monuments, Onawa, Iowa.

Cole was born on March 25, 1992, to Doug and Debbie Boynton in Omaha, NE. He joined his older siblings, Jesse and Sarah. From a young age, Cole had a wild spark in him but was always given the benefit of the doubt thanks to his bright blue eyes and bleach blonde hair that always won everyone’s hearts over. Cole’s fondest memories as a child would be at “Gavin’s” on the river in South Dakota where his family spent most of their summer weekends boating, fishing, and swimming. On the rainy days that kept him inside the screened-in porch he could be caught playing a game of chess or checkers with his cousin, Zach, listening to a 90’s country radio station in the background.   

As Cole grew up, his brother, Jesse, instilled a deep appreciation for hunting and being in the great outdoors. It all started in 2004, when Jesse helped Cole harvest his first deer. In 2011, Cole killed his biggest deer to date out of Jesse’s deer stand. Cole repaid the favor to his brother by taking his nephew, Jesse James, out on several hunts. He continued to find peace on the river bottoms starting each of his outings with a crisp sunrise and ending it with a glowing sunset. He was an avid conservationist for wildlife and attended conservation meetings. As an adult, Cole processed many harvested deer for hunters in the county. He was dedicated to controlling the local predator population. Cole leaves behind his friend, Jack Faith Jr. –tasked with an ongoing mission: managing the local coyote population. The two of them shared a bonding week of finding “Hammer’s” matching sheds, the famous deer that kept them up multiple nights. Aside from hunting, Cole also took up the hobby of trapping and reloading ammo. He has his father-in-law, Mark, to thank for these hobbies. For many years, Cole trapped beavers for the County Drainage District. Basically, if you had a critter problem, Cole was your go to guy. His trapping collection is the largest of his collections although his antler collection is a close second. For several years Cole took part in the buying, selling, and trading of large and unique antlers across the nation. 

Little did he know one of the greatest joys of his life began in kindergarten at Lark Elementary, where he first met Kali–a friendship that would be put on pause when Cole moved to Omaha, NE in first grade. Eventually he moved back to Onawa, IA in 2006 and shortly after, Cole and Kali began dating. The two of them built a life they loved for the next 17 ½ years. Cole and Kali (Richardson) were united in marriage on May 31, 2014. In their dating years, you could always find them driving around in his red 1995 Jeep Wrangler. They were always off to fish, find mushrooms, antlers or some Craigslist treasure Cole had his eyes on. Many of those treasures included several more Jeep Wranglers, three-wheelers, trucks, Mustang cars, and animal traps. In the fall of 2016, they bought their first home in Blencoe, IA. This home has been a gathering place for all of their family and friends for many celebrations. They valued making memories and spending time with all of their loved ones whether it was for birthday celebrations or Kali’s random party ideas. These were times when everyone could check in to see how Cole’s home projects were progressing–sometimes further than last but still far from complete. 

Cole’s next greatest joy was becoming a father. Cole and Kali welcomed their first daughter, Willow June, on January 15, 2020. Cole took immense pride in naming her and always beamed when everyone knew her by name. He made sure to never miss a bedtime routine and he looked forward to attending all of her dance recitals and sporting events. He always joked that maybe she wasn’t the athletic type and that she would rather go “fast” on the Honda ATC70 three-wheeler he kept in their basement for their future children. His latest and greatest joy, Lettie Lynn, was born on September 15, 2023. Her birth threw a wrench in his plans of attending a coyote tournament that weekend but he didn’t mind. Cole always looked forward to ending his evenings rocking Lettie to sleep and singing, “You’re My Sunshine.” On the weekends, he enjoyed making his wife and daughters hearty breakfasts–especially pancakes–savoring those sweet, simple, and slow mornings together in the kitchen. When asked what her favorite things were about her daddy, Willow said, “riding three-wheelers and eating his breakfasts.” Cole was a proud family man and cherished every moment he had with his daughters and wife. 

For over half of their life he and Kali were each other’s best friend. Together, they explored the world–from the sunny beaches of Aruba and the coasts of Florida to the mountain air of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It may have been a struggle for Kali to convince Cole to take these trips because he was always satisfied with the simple beauty of the Midwest. One of their most recent treasured trips to Arizona and Utah was to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary–just the two of them and the open road with the top down in a convertible Mustang they rented. More than half of Cole’s life was beautifully chronicled through thousands of photographs captured by Kali, preserving memories of their daily adventures, laughter, and love that will tell their story for generations. Cole had a gift for writing heartfelt notes to Kali–in his most beautiful handwriting were small tokens of love and wisdom that will be treasured by her forever. It was in those quiet, handwritten moments that Cole’s gentle spirit shone through.

He was a capable man–steady, strong, and endlessly talented. A true craftsman, Cole could take on any task set before him with skill, patience, and the pride in the work of his hands. Whether building, fixing, creating, or solving, there was little he couldn’t do, and everything he touched bore the mark of his care and capability. His working career began as a groundskeeper for the Onawa Country Club. Before working there, as a young kid he grew up on the golf course and became quite the golfer. In high school, he joined the boy’s West Monona golf team and that same year Kali just so happened to join the girl’s West Monona golf team, too. Cole graduated from West Monona High School, class of 2010. He worked for Morton Buildings in the years 2011-2018. Then he joined Bonine Garage Doors in Onawa, IA from 2018-2024. Recently, Cole returned to Morton Buildings in July 2024, as the Field Service Specialist, or better known as the building repair salesman. He was a true and genuine salesman. He thrived in this position because one of Cole’s best qualities was that he could strike up a conversation with just about anyone on any subject and always relate to them. He was a talker–especially if it related to hunting, trapping, or work-related conversations. Cole also recently became a member of the Blencoe City Council. 

Aside from hunting and trapping, other things he enjoyed were coin collecting, drinking Mountain Dew, smoking Marlboro Lights, and he could always guess the plot to every movie after watching five minutes worth. He took after his mother, Debbie, in the kitchen and was a fantastic cook. His specialty was cooking breakfast - omelets were his favorite.  He lived his life fully and surrounded himself with friends that became family. Cole appreciated people for who they were. He was a steady presence in times of trouble, a rational thinker, and always ready with a quick wit and good humor to lift the mood when needed. 

Cole is survived by his loving wife and best friend, Kali, and their two cherished daughters, Willow June and Lettie Lynn; his labrador dog, Sage; (Blencoe, IA) his father and stepmother, Doug and Lauren Boynton (Blencoe, IA); his stepfather, Bruce Ingram (Onawa, IA); grandmother, Joyce Boynton (Omaha, NE); grandfather, James Schmitz (Omaha, NE); his brother, Jesse (Amanda) Boynton (Onawa, IA); his sister, Sarah (Joel) Van Wyhe (Sioux City, IA); his parents-in-law, Mark and Christie Richardson (Onawa, IA); his sister-in-law, Krista (Randy) Eisenhauer (Elgin, NE); and his beloved nieces and nephews: Alivia (Rafi) Mejia, Josie, Jesse James, Amber, and Autumn Boynton, Claire Van Wyhe, Keyera, Kierstyn, and Braxtyn Eisenhauer; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives and friends. 

He was preceded in death by his mother, Debbie Ingram; grandmother, Kay Schmitz; aunt, Krista Bennett; grandfather, Dick Boynton; and his labrador dogs, Grizz and Cash.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Cole may be made to the “Boynton Memorial” fund. Please send contributions to: Bank First 902 10th Street Onawa, IA 51040.

Condolences may be left online for the family at www.goslarfuneralhome.com

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