Richard William Sowers

Richard was born on September 2, 1950, in Cabarrus County, N.C., to Frank and Janet (Vaughan) Sowers. He was baptized into the Lutheran Church as an infant and would continue to serve the church for the rest of his life. He was a member of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta, Ga.

As a youth, Richard was active in the Boy Scouts of America, receiving the distinctive honors of Eagle Scout and Pro Deo Et Patria. He had a lifelong love of sports, and during his years attending A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C., he played football, basketball, and was the star catcher for the Wonders' baseball team.

In 1972, Richard earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a place where he forged some of his deepest friendships and a place he would continue to hold in his heart for the rest of his life.

Upon graduation, Richard enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After he was honorably discharged as a commissioned officer, he embarked on a career in journalism, working for a number of newspapers during the 1970's: The Roanoke Times and The Martinsville Bulletin in Virginia, the Gastonia Gazette in North Carolina, where he was Sports Editor, and the Louisville Courier-Journal in Kentucky.

In 1983, Richard went to work as News Editor for The Sporting News Publishing Company in St. Louis, Mo. In 1992, he transitioned from working as a reporter and editor to serving the media as Executive Director of Public Relations for Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga.

While working in the stock-car racing industry, Richard began writing a book about the sport and enjoyed the process of researching and writing so much that he devoted the rest of his career to writing and editing statistical histories and reference books about sports, primarily stock-car and thoroughbred racing.

Richard loved God, his wife and family and his friends, many of whom he had the privilege of mentoring during his career.

Richard's life was immeasurably enriched by the many cats he rescued throughout his life. They became his children.

He loved the UNC Tar Heels and the United States Navy. He loved playing golf, Sinatra, Gershwin, Beethoven, The Great Gatsby, beach music, anything written by Dan Jenkins, The Rockford Files, Motown and The Beatles. He loved life itself.

Richard was the most faithful and loving husband of 31 years to Valerie Crain Sowers.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his mother: Janet Vaughan Sowers; sisters: Tricia Huntington, and Amy (Frank) Collins; sisters-in-law: Connie (Tom) Riley, and Susan (Tom) Wylie; brother-in-law Bob (Brent Reese) Crain; beloved nieces and nephews: Evan Russell, Blair Russell, Amanda Collins, Ellie Collins, Jennifer (Ryan) Gaul, John (Cindy) Riley, Joshua (Alacia) Riley, Cal Wylie, and Sydney Wylie; and five great nieces and nephews. Richard was predeceased by his father: Frank Clyde Sowers; and his father and mother-in-law: Robert and Helen Crain.

Richard's family hopes to have a funeral and celebration of Richard's life later in the year, as permitted. If you would like to receive details of this celebration, please email [email protected]. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of Richard's favorite charitable organizations: St. Jude's Research Hospital, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, or Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove, Ga.