David Michael Fowler

David Michael Fowler began his life’s journey in Austin, Texas in July of 1984. He grew up in Austin surrounded by a loving family and loyal friends. He learned about the world while in Austin, starting with kindergarten at Patton Elementary and continuing through college graduation at the University of Texas. After living briefly in Georgia and for 8 years in New Zealand, David returned to Austin to spend his last year.

Family held a primary place in David’s heart. He cherished the close bond between his parents Dan and Jacque Fowler and his sister Jenny Sneed. He loved the time spent with his grandparents Betty and Jack Bloomfield and Wiley and Elizabeth Fowler. As the family grew, David embraced its new members Jenny’s husband Tim Sneed and her children Jaden and Alanna. He truly loved being Uncle David! David married Katherine Kailing, and in 2017 they welcomed a healthy, happy baby boy Luke Jackson Fowler. Luke gave David’s life a whole new purpose, and he relished introducing Luke to long nature hikes in New Zealand and to the magic of reading and storytelling. David loved Luke with all his heart. David always looked forward to family gatherings where he could spend time with his aunts and uncles and many cousins. David especially enjoyed a gathering in Bandera, Texas where he introduced Luke to his extended family.

Friendships also played a central role in David’s life. David formed many lifelong friendships in elementary school, frequently reaching out to welcome newcomers and make them feel comfortable. His friends enjoyed his sense of humor and appreciated his kindness and loyalty. Later, David’s interests and career introduced him to new friends who shared his passion for sports, nature, dogs, and running. They all celebrated many happy times together.

David also became a lifelong Texas Longhorn at an early age. Thanks to cheap end zone seats from Randalls, David began attending as many Longhorn football games as he could, always with family or friends. David attended many bowl games and enjoyed them all, even the loss to Alabama in the championship game in 2010. David and his sister Jenny cheered the men’s basketball team to many victories. This fall he and his Aunt Julie, a frequent football companion, watched the historic win over the Oklahoma Sooners, and David recently enjoyed watching the women’s volleyball team’s last playoff victory in Austin on their way to the national championship. David played intramural sports while attending the University of Texas and afterwards began a lifelong passion for running that included participation in the Austin Distance Challenge and many half and full marathons.

Love of nature drove David to barren trails in the blazing Texas sun and snow-covered vistas looking out over the Grand Canyon. He hiked everywhere, taking an infant Luke onto forest trails around Wellington, New Zealand and singing this past summer as he loped up the trails on Mount Cook. He felt closest to God when experiencing nature’s beauty. David pursued an environmental degree with a specialization in geographic information systems. This allowed him to work on projects to understand nature’s changes such as mapping the migration of plants and wildlife in Texas and creating new maps for tsunami evacuation routes in Wellington.

David frequently forged ahead on hikes, sometimes advancing out of sight only to return to help encourage the slower moving members of the party by telling them of the wonders ahead. A firm believer in Heaven, he has no doubt forged ahead again, issuing a cry that would often spring from his lips when beginning a new adventure: “Forthen onto the horizon!”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Crisis Text Line (crisistextline.org) or a charity of choice.