Becky (Betty Jo) Watson Bowdre, 95, passed away Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Private burial was held on Saturday, October 22nd in Riverside Cemetery with Dr. Jim Bruner presiding. A Celebration of her Life will be held at 10:00 AM Monday, October 31st in "The Grande" at Carlyle Place with a visitation/reception following. Rev. Cass DuCharme will officiate. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Macon Outreach, P.O. Box 149, Macon, GA 31202; the Historic Macon Foundation, P.O. Box 13358, Macon, GA 31208; or Highland Hills Baptist Church, 1370 Briarcliff Road, Macon, GA 31211.
Becky was born April 13, 1927, in Macon, the daughter of the late Ida Mae Nunn Watson and John Osborne Watson. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 65 years, John Neville Birch Bowdre.
She graduated from Miller High School for Girls in 1945, then attended Wesleyan College for two years. In 1949, she graduated with a degree in psychology from Mercer University, where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After graduation she worked as a social worker for the Bibb County welfare department.
Becky and John married in 1950. Three children followed: Rebecca, Birch, and Charlie. Becky loved working with activities in which the children were involved, serving as a Cub Scout den mother and a Brownie and Girl Scout leader and council member.
Becky and John were members of Highland Hills Baptist Church, where Becky taught Sunday school and served on the flower committee. She also was a member of the Hill and Dale Garden Club and the Middle Georgia Historical Society (now Historic Macon Foundation), where she served on the executive committee and board of trustees.
Becky loved her bridge club of over 60 years. Since she had no siblings, she considered her bridge club members and other close friends as her sisters. The club published a cookbook, Table Talk, in 1986, with recipes the members used for their bi-monthly luncheons; it was a resounding success, selling over 5,000 copies after multiple reprintings. Becky was also famous for her own recipes, representing Georgia in the National Chicken Cooking Contest and winning a refrigerator in a Baskin-Robbins recipe contest.
In addition to cooking, Becky enjoyed gardening, reading, and—most of all—being with friends and family. She and John liked to travel as well; after touring Europe and taking two family trips to the national parks of the American West, they discovered that Santa Fe was the place to which they always chose to return—which they did often.
Becky will be remembered as a selfless, loving, kind, and cheerful witness to the hope she had in Jesus Christ. She is survived by her three children, Rebecca Bowdre Winkel (Terry), John Neville Birch Bowdre, Jr. (Karon), and Charles Scaife Bowdre, and two grandchildren, John Neville Birch Bowdre, III (Cayla) and Alexander Barrett Bowdre (MaryLou).
Snow’s Memorial Chapel, Bass Road, has charge of arrangements. Visit www.snowsmacon.com to express tributes.
