In Memoriam
Klaus Dieter Boese
Klaus Boese ’64 passed away on January 28, 2026. Here are the following remembrances:
Obituary
Klaus Boese
1964 Yale graduation
Klaus Boese (Böse), aged 86, died peacefully at home in Washington DC, on 28 January, 2026. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Janet, their children Kirsten (Ben Self) and Alexander (Beverley Walton), granddaughters Astrid Self and Pippa Self, step-grandson Charlie Curzon (Danielle), greatgrandsons Kingston and Rory Curzon, and a sister Angela Boese.
Klaus was born in Bremen, Germany on 8 January 1940, under the shadow of World War II. The horrors of the war and the kindness of family and friends who helped his family rebuild in its aftermath had a profound impact on shaping Klaus' values and commitment to service. Klaus was a world traveler, who spoke two languages fluently and had a working proficiency in several others. He had a lifelong interest in international politics.
Klaus Boese
in recent years
He attended Hamburg University in Germany for two years and transferred to Yale University in New Haven. After graduating from Yale and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, he embarked on a career in finance. He was proud to spend the latter part of his career at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While at the IMF, Klaus also served on the board of the Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union, including as its President.
Upon retirement, Klaus continued his service as Board Chair of the IMF Retirees Association. He joined the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association (TOGA), earning the certification of Master Oyster Gardener. He enjoyed travel, reading, and gardening, among other activities. He loved animals and the feeling was mutual.
He is remembered by an extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends who mourn his death but are grateful for Klaus' dependable and loving presence in their lives.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to a local animal rescue group, the World Central Kitchen, or TOGA in Klaus' name.
Essay, 50th Reunion Book
by Klaus Boese
May 2014
Some people know what they want to achieve with their lives and they plan and work to that goal. I have never been that kind of person. While I have not drifted aimlessly through my life, I have never planned far ahead and yet, looking back, I am very satisfied with the path my life has followed.
As I possessed dual citizenship and had to reside in the States for a fixed time after my 18th birthday in order to maintain this status, I entered Yale/Saybrook College as a Junior transfer student from the University of Hamburg (Germany).
My graduate work, whether to study economics in Wisconsin or international affairs in Washington, DC, was decided by the scholarship I was offered by Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
I completed my MA at the SAIS-Bologna, Italy, Center and subsequently was offered a job in a bank in Philadelphia. After 14 years with that bank, of which I spent one year in Paris and five in London as manager of their London branch, the bank ran into trouble and my job disappeared. As fortune would have it, I had already been talking with the IMF and was able to land a job in their Finance Division because at that time they were looking for someone with the kind of international banking experience I happened to have.
After 22 years at the IMF and now twelve years as a retiree, I live in the Northern Neck of Virginia, where I enjoy the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. I regularly travel to Washington, where my wife and I help out with our grandchildren and where I volunteer on the Board of Directors of the IMF Retirees Association. Without a fixed course, life has been good.