DuVal Owens Bowen of Atlanta, GA, passed away peacefully on February 12, 2019, surrounded by her family. Born in 1935 in Rocky Mount, NC, she was the daughter of A.Bingham Owens and Lillian Braswell Owens. She is predeceased by her husband of more than sixty years, Harold J. Bowen, Jr., whom she met while a student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. After their marriage in 1957, the two moved to Chicago, Il, where she worked in the admissions office of Northwestern University and where their daughter, Laura, was born. In 1961 they moved to Atlanta, where their children, Jay and Catherine, were born. The family moved to Winston-Salem, NC, in 1973 and then settled back in Atlanta in 1979.
She was known for her unwavering code of honor, generosity of spirit, and striking beauty. An irreverent sense of humor, laced with sardonic wit, kept family and friends constantly entertained and on guard. Nothing captured this more than the emergence of the famous “Geroni” conglomerate, which eventually included a necklace, a salad, and an annual tennis tournament. She was an accomplished tennis and bridge player and a devote of the arts, especially music. Her interest and expertise in antique Persian carpets led to the formulation of her successful consulting business, DuVal and Co., where she forged lasting friendships and relationships throughout the industry. Her rug selections can still be found in homes and businesses throughout Atlanta.
She was just hitting her athletic and business stride when DuVal was stricken with crippling rheumatoid arthritis. As with everything else, she endured this challenge with indomitable spirit and courage. Though severely limited by her arthritis “D,” found a way to actively participate in the lives of her children and grandchildren and was famous for her extravagant annual holiday dinners, which brought the entire family together each Christmas. When forced to give up tennis, she took up bridge and gathered her friends at her home weekly for intense competition and socializing. In 2013, heart failure led to open heart surgery that resulted in a heroic recovery. Always the fighter, she defied all medical odds and lived for nearly six more years.
She attended E. Rivers School and Washington Seminary in Atlanta, and St. Mary’s Junior College in Raleigh, NC, before graduating from UNC. She was a member of Chi Omega sorority, the Atlanta Junior League, Colonial Dames of America, The Ivy Garden Club, and The Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
She is survived by her three children: Laura Bowen Alby (Greg Alby) of Atlanta, Harold J. Bowen III (Marcie Bowen) of Atlanta, and Catherine Bowen Stern (Greg Stern) of Mill Valley, CA; her seven grandchildren: Glenn Alby, Eleanor Alby Hunt (Stuart Hunt), Rhett Alby, DuVal Bowen, William Bowen, Lillian Stern and Eva Stern. She was predeceased by her brothers, Jim Owens and Bob Owens, and is survived by her sister Laura Owens of Santa Rosa, CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of DuVal can be made to the Harold and DuVal Bowen Physician-Scientist Fund in Rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA.
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