Charles Richard Bowman

Charles Richard Bowman passed away on October 11, 2014 and went to be with his Lord and Savior. He was born on September 8, 1931 in Marfa, Texas. He was the only child of Lillian Elder and Charles Bowman. He is survived by his wife and helpmate of fifty-five years, Polly Miller Bowman, daughter Rebecca Bowman Morris and son Charles David Bowman. He is also survived by his son-in-law Mark C Morris and grandchildren, Claudia and Charles Morris, as well as several sister- and brother-in-laws, nieces and nephews.

He graduated from Marfa High School in 1948 and from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1952. He served in the US Army from 1952-1954, stationed at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama working on rocketry under Dr. Wernher von Braun. He returned to UT to receive his Masters in Physics in 1957. He worked at the Defense Research Lab during graduate school and then did research at the nuclear reactor at General Dynamics in Ft. Worth. He worked there for 10 years and then two years with Texas Instruments before joining El Paso Natural Gas Co, later known as Burlington Resources, in 1968. He retired from Burlington Resources in 1991. He wrote and published several papers and research articles in Physics Today and other related publications. He was able to travel to several places, including Canada and Austria, in order to present some of his work.

After he was in graduate school while working in Ft Worth, he met several friends who involved him in a Bible study. There he developed a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ’s love, sacrifice and salvation. Following his conviction and transformation of being a Christian, he attended, served and was involved in several churches over the years: Believers’ Chapel in Dallas, El Paso Bible Church, Emmanuel Baptist Church in Farmington New Mexico, and Grace Covenant Church in Austin. He invested his time with the organization Child Evangelism Fellowship in El Paso and also Gideons International in Farmington.

Through church, he and Polly made many friends over the years. They were blessed to take a trip to England with their good friends, the Stattons. He will be remembered for his love of his family, grandchildren, and UT athletics. He typically took his family on an annual family vacation to see a UT football game. He also followed UT baseball. Many, many UT football and baseball games were watched. Polly’s first gift to Charlie after they were married was a life membership with the University of Texas Ex-Students’ Association.

His dad taught him wood work and carpentry. He made many pieces of furniture, built decks, fences, a dollhouse, a barn and a room addition to a home. Growing up in Marfa, he loved riding horseback and had an affinity for steam engine railroad trains. He would take his family on several vacations that involved riding a steam train. He also had records of steam engine sounds! And he played with model trains—on behalf of his children and grandchildren.

He and Polly liked to go camping and later made many trips as a family. He enjoyed the western swing music of Bob Wills but also classical music, with Wagner and Rachmaninoff as his favorites. He read about science, theology and history. He enjoyed Bible studies. He spent many hours playing tennis, riding his bike and gardening. He liked snow skiing. He also liked to cook. Steak and apple pie were his specialties. His favorite saying was “…for cryin’ out loud.”

But he most especially loved quail hunting around Marfa. He loved chasing the elusive quail even through the black brush. He liked cigars and sardines while out quail hunting. He loved having his kids trailing after him, searching for the quail with him.

The family would like to thank the staff of Austin North Assisted Living and Hospice Austin for their gentle and tender care of Charlie.

Memorial contributions may be made to Mission Possible Austin or Hospice Austin.