George Robert (Bob) Bowers, 88, died on August 8, 2024, in Dublin, Ohio. He is survived by Barbara, his wife of 66 years; daughters, Camille (Clyde) Gilbert of South Salem, Ohio, and Kristen (Michael) Reed of Ashville, Ohio; grandchildren, Joshua (Jessica) Gilbert, Ashley (Brian) Pitzer, Benjamin (Lisa) Reed, Emily (Andrew) Johnson, Megan (Joshua) Winkler, and Katie (Sterling) King; and 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold J. and Josephine P. Bowers of Ashville, Ohio, and sister, Marilyn Pollitt of Naperville, Illinois.
Born in Williamsport, Ohio, Bob grew up in Ashville, Ohio and graduated from Ashville-Harrison High School (‘53). He received his bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees from Ohio University (‘57), The Ohio State University (‘60), and The University of Akron (‘73), respectively.
Bob began his career in 1958 as a teacher at Central High School in the Columbus Public Schools and taught as a TV science teacher over WOSU-TV for junior high school students in 1960-61. He entered administration in 1961 as assistant superintendent in the Plain Local School District, Stark County, Ohio, and became superintendent a year later. In 1970, he was named Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction in the Ohio Department of Education, a position he held for 19 years. Following his career at the Department of Education, he became Deputy Executive Director - Administration of the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio in 1989, a position he held for 11 years. In retirement, he spent four years serving on a part-time basis as director of education for the National Council on Teacher Retirement.
The University of Dayton, Ashland University, and Rio Grande University awarded Bob honorary doctorate degrees in education, law and public service, respectively. He was president of Columbus Rotary Foundation in 1998-1999 and president of The Rotary Club of Columbus in 2002-2003.
Visitation will be held from 1-3 PM on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1581 Cambridge Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43212, where a celebration of life ceremony will follow at 3 PM. Private burial services will be held at Reber Hill Cemetery, Ashville, Ohio.
Memorial contributions may be made to Friendship Village of Dublin Residents’ Benevolent Fund, 6000 Riverside Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43017 or the Columbus Rotary Foundation, 950 Michigan Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 4321.
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