Bolus was 82 years old.

SCRANTON, Pa. — Scranton businessman Bob Bolus has died, according to a close family friend. 

Many know Bolus from his trucking and towing business that he operated for decades.

There were many sides to Bob Bolus, some controversial, some charitable.

He was charged with insurance fraud in 2009, found guilty in a jury trial three years later, and sent to the Lackawanna County jail. He always denied the charges.

One of the ways we will always remember Bolus comes from politics. He ran for mayor of Scranton a handful of times. Sometimes, he was on the ballot, sometimes, a write-in campaign. He was never successful. Judges knocked Bolus off the ballot, ruling he couldn’t serve as Scranton mayor because of the insurance fraud conviction.

In 2019, Bolus, at a Scranton City Council meeting, railed against the sexual orientation of a woman running for council. She won the election.

Bolus also protested the raising of the LGBTQ flag in front of Scranton City Hall as part of Pride Month.

Bolus staunchly supported Donald Trump and his policies, and his so-called Trump trucks were frequent sights around Lackawanna County. Bolus even had one drive past a Black Lives Matter Rally on Courthouse Square in Scranton in June of 2020. The truck was then parked just feet away from the demonstration.

The Trump trucks were not limited to Lackawanna County. Bolus and his truck were part of a convoy that headed to Washington in February of 2022. The convoy was part of a protest of President, and Scranton native, Joe Biden, and his political agenda.

One cannot sum up the life of Bob Bolus without mentioning the Christmas dinner he hosted for more than 30 years. The locations changed, but the mission did not: feed anyone who was in need, offer company to anyone who felt lonely. 

Bolus and his fellow volunteers even delivered, providing meals to hundreds every Christmas, and thousands over the decades, never charging, always relying on donations.

In January of 2025, a fire wrecked his trucking and towing business along Sanderson Street in Throop. 

The fire destroyed the building and everything inside, valued at $1 million, according to Bolus. On his Facebook page, Bolus claimed it was a case of arson. A state police fire marshal said there was too much damage to pinpoint a cause, but the investigation remained open.