James Milford Bowen of Webster died Wednesday morning, February 27, 2019, at Clear Lake Regional Hospital in Webster, TX.
Jim was born in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, on March 18, 1939, the son of Charles Clayton Bowen and his wife Inez Marie Hoover. His childhood was spent in California, moving frequently as his father, a Southern Baptist missionary, organized new churches in many communities. When Jim was in high school, the family moved back to Arkansas. Jim attended Hope High School and graduated from Magnolia High School. He received a Bachelors of Arts degree with a major in Speech and Drama from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. Following college he spent four years in the United States Air Force, serving in a weather squadron in Libya and at Moron AFB in Spain. He moved to Houston to work on the Apollo Program at NASA. There he met, and on August 1, 1970, married Annette Anderson. He later worked for AT&T in Houston and at Bell Labs in New Jersey. He took early retirement from AT&T and spent over 20 years traveling with his wife in their RV, enjoying the beauty of the United States. He loved to plan meticulously detailed trips, allowing them to visit many unusual places as well as the typical tourist locations.
Jim loved spending time with his family. He loved his dogs. He enjoyed watching auto racing, in person or on TV. He enjoyed traveling in his motorhome and going to RV rallies. He loved photography, and for several years made calendars featuring his favorite photographs. He enjoyed nature and the peaceful quiet of the country. Jim loved classical music. His favorite composer was Mozart, and he liked the classical Spanish guitar of Andres Segovia.
Jim was a member of Clear Lake United Methodist Church, Texans on Safari RV Club, FMCA, DeMontrond RV Club, and several other RV clubs. He was a former member of HAL-PC and its photography club.
Jim is survived by his wife of 48 years, Annette; daughter Rebecca (Holly): son Daniel (Staci); grandchildren Anderson; step-grandchildren Kaitlyn and Molly Descant, Cailey and Casey Bower; one brother Charles A. Bowen Sr. (Pat); two nephews Charlie (Hollie) and Jeremy (Lisa) Bowen; one niece Beth Jackson. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant sister Charlotte Marie, and one niece Rhonda Lee.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at Clear Lake United Methodist Church, 16335 El Camino, Houston, Texas 77598.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children – Houston, 6977 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77030-3701, the Music Excellence Fund at Clear Lake United Methodist Church or your favorite charity.