Gordon William (“Bill”) Bowman, son of Gordon Lewis Bowman and Agnes Raye (“Raysie”) Kelch, and brother of Jan and Bruce Bowman, passed away peacefully in Damariscotta, a few days short of his 88th birthday, on May 31. He was raised in New Harbor and attended Lincoln Academy for one year, Gould Academy for the rest of high school, and graduated from the University of Florida with a major in industrial engineering.
Bill lived and traveled over the world with the Army reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and served in Korea, the Philippines and Borneo. He worked at IBM as a director in manufacturing and lived in Paris and Tokyo, among other locales.
He was very pleased to be able to return to Maine in his retirement. He had always visited here regularly, to see his former schoolteacher, Lib Hanna, from the one-room schoolhouse; Pemaquid Point; all his childhood haunts and family homes; and to be near the water again, which he loved to paint, as did many others in his family, including Giles Lewis Bowman, Milfred Bowman, Reginald Bowman and his uncle, Don Bowman.
Bill will be especially remembered for his ability to see the humor in most all situations, his consideration for others, and his openness to life and all its myriad experiences. His family has great memories of his chocolate sauce and apple pie, as well as his preferred breakfast of pie and ice cream.
Cherishing his memory are his wife, Eleanor Cappon; children, Tom, Andrea and Rick (from his first marriage to Lydia Bowman, deceased), who respectively reside in Maple Grove, Minn., Philadelphia, Penn. and Belmont, Cal.; grandchildren, Jeff and Natalie Bowman, and Daniel, David, Alex and Eric Moore; two step-children; five step grand-children; one step-great granddaughter; and their families.
A memorial service will be announced and held in July, and his ashes will be laid to rest in the New Harbor Cemetery.
Condolences, and messages for the family, may be expressed by visiting www.StrongHancock.com.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
