Donald Arthur Bowman's Obituary
Born November 11, 1942 in Lakewood, Ohio during WWII to Ralph Manley Bowman, flight instructor for Emory, Riddle Airfield in Florida and Betty Jane Bowman (Shull). As the oldest of 10 children, Don carried the responsibility of helping his mother care for everyone. A task all of us are grateful for. Surviving siblings are Mary Anne Dennis, Virginia Louise Tripp, Barbara May Raby, Patricia Lee Heubner, Darlene Joyce Smith, Sandra Jill Weeks and Sally Jean Franklin. Deceased Richard Earl Bowman and Diane Lynn Akers. The family was raised in Westlake, Ohio, 2 miles from the shores of Lake Erie.
Don was drum Major for Westlake High School’s Demons football team. He worked as a golf caddy, went to Bowling Green college and then moved to Monrovia, California, assembling bicycles before joining the Air Force. During the Veit Nam war, he was trained as a ticket agent to work in Saigon for a year. He continued that occupation for 40 years, working for Eastern, North Central, Republic Airlines, Northwest and Delta Airlines. He once won a trip around the world for getting the only 100% score on the airline’s skills test.
He had never married. During his career he circled the world visiting 26 countries. He lamented that he made it to all the continents except the Antarctica. Europe and Siberia were his favorite overseas locations, although we do have pictures of him riding a camel in Egypt. In the US he visited Alaska 26 times. He was mostly stationed in Orlando, Florida. His home was hit by two separate hurricanes, which gave him the incentive to move to one of his favorite places. So, at retirement, he moved to Prague for a year in the Chezh Republic. There he met a young man, Lukas Osladil who needed to learn English, to compete as a world champion body builder. Don also helped him learn how to travel the world for his competitions. He remained friends with Lukas and Lukas’s girlfriend, Leona for 20 years after Don returned to America.
Don returned to live in Westlake, Ohio for 10 years and then moved to live with his sister Barbara, for 6 years. He is missed by all who appreciated his commitment to their families.
A graveside service will be held on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at the Sunset Memorial Park, 6265 Columbia Road, North Olmsted, Ohi0 44070 (Section Sermon on the Mound, Law E, Crypt 125).
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