Robert H. Boehmer was born in Walden, New York, in 1898. Following military service during World War I, he enrolled at the Michigan College of Mines to study mining engineering. He graduated in the class of 1925 and subsequently worked for the Kennecott Copper Company and International Nickle Company, among other employers in the United States and Canada.

In August 1923, Boehmer married Agnes Daly, a teacher and native of Houghton. Agnes Boehmer died in 1969.

On May 25, 1971, following seminary studies, he was ordained a permanent deacon for the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Lansing. At the time of his ordination, Boehmer was the oldest Catholic deacon in the United States. He later enjoyed a private audience with Pope Paul VI.

Deacon Robert H. Boehmer died in Flint, Michigan on April 27, 1974. He was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Houghton.