Brother Boniface (Gregory) Domas

Bro. Boniface Domas died peacefully Tuesday. October 16, 2017, at the age of 91. He was born on June 12, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois and named Gregory—the middle child of three sons and a daughter. Gregory graduated from high school in Oak Park, Illinois. He was drafted into the army, and served in Japan when WWII ended.

In 1950 he entered New Melleray Abbey near Dubuque, Iowa, taking the name Bro. Boniface. He was sent to the new monastery foundation near Ava, Missouri in 1954. The monks faced pioneer type conditions, but the change of climate cleared up Bro. Boniface's chronic asthma. After five years of monastic formation he made final vows in 1955.

Bro. Boniface was an industrious worker. In the early years he served as cook and baker. An oven door explosion sent him across the kitchen and singed his eyebrows, but it did not deter him. He also tended the peach orchard with pruning, irrigation and harvesting. Bro. Boniface was always followed outside by his favorite dog companions. He trained them to always ride in the pickup with him.

In 1971 the monks moved into their permanent monastery. They were supporting themselves by making concrete blocks. Bro. Boniface was assigned to work the offbearer, which took fresh blocks from the molding machine and transferred them to racks for steam curing.

When the monastic industry changed from making blocks to baking fruit cakes, Bro. Boniface returned to duties as cook and baker. His specialties were apple crisp, peanut butter cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies. He also made Must-Go soup from all the leftovers. Among his other work, he was the tailor, carpenter and painter and in charge of the forestry care.

Bro. Boniface gained a reputation for accidents (broken hand, chain saw cuts, and a tree falling on him), as well as a skill for witty repartee. He was always faithful to his prayer life.

In 2011 Bro. Boniface spent seven months living in the same room of a nursing home to care for Bro. Dominic in his last illness. Shortly after his return he began to show signs of some confusion. Eventually he needed the skilled care of Ava's Heart of the Ozarks health care center. He adjusted well there and was very loved by the staff. He kept declining. The final occurrence of two strokes brought him to the end, when he was brought home to Assumption Abbey to die among his brothers.