John "Stewart" Bowles

John Stewart Bowles was born to Jennie R. Bowles and John E. Bowles on Jan. 11, 1951 in Houston, TX at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He was taken home to their family home on Tangley Street in the Southampton neighborhood of Houston. He had an older sister, Carole. Stewart went to Poe Elementary and later Roberts Elementary once the family moved to the Southside Place neighborhood of Houston. Growing up, his family were active members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and Stewart was a Boy Scout at the church. His faith would continue to grow and it became a very important part of his life. Stewart was an “All City” and “All District” football player for the Lanier Purple Pups football team, voted “Most Popular Boy” in 9th grade at Lanier Junior High, and went on to graduate from Lamar High School.

In his 20s, Stewart bought a house in Katy, TX, many of his friends joking that he was moving out to “East San Antonio” because it was so far away from where he had grown up in Houston. Stewart thought that he was just buying the house on Park Tree Lane as an investment that he would quickly sell, but it turned into the house that he would spend the next 45 years in, making memories and raising a family. Stewart loved Katy and knew more people than he didn’t around town, always striking up a conversation with anyone nearby.

Stewart was always filling his time with new hobbies and interests. He loved music and was known to play it so loudly that the entire house could hear it. He could usually be found listening to Willie Nelson or Elvis Presley. He also loved his motorcycle, a black Harley Davidson. Stewart loved learning about coins and collecting some rare ones throughout his life. He loved history, proudly declaring to be a 7th generation Texan. He also loved physics and inventing new things that took up far too much space in the house. He loved gold prospecting and convincing his daughters to go metal detecting with him when they were younger. He had his pilot’s license and also enjoyed duck hunting in his younger days. His favorite meal, one always requested on his birthday, was a cheeseburger, “extra, extra, extra” crispy fries, and a Dr. Pepper, of course.

Later in life, he loved playing pool - often staying up until the early hours of the morning with his friends because “the game was just too good” to stop. He owned land for about a decade and sold hay which, according to him, made him a part-time farmer. Not to mention all of the pets he had from dogs, cats, and even a bird to the pets he was asked to watch while his daughters were in college, including a bunny whose cage he “renovated” because he thought that she needed more space. Everything that Stewart did, he did with his whole heart.

Stewart lived life to the fullest, always looking for his next adventure. He held several careers in his adult life before finding his passion as a pyrotechnician and beginning his own business, Shooting Star Productions. Stewart always said that he had the best job in the world because of how many people he was able to make happy. He would always say, “You can’t be sad when you’re watching a firework show!” His daughters have fond memories of getting to go “behind the scenes” of the firework shows for Disney on Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, and the annual 4th of July fireworks show at Katy Mills Mall. Stewart would always tell his daughters that when they saw a purple heart or a blue heart firework in the sky, that it was for them because those were their favorite colors. Stewart also had the “popular house on the block” during the 4th of July and New Year’s Eve with the neighborhood kids because he would hand out fireworks to anyone who asked. He was also known for knocking out the street lights a time or two with the fireworks he set off at midnight.

The only thing Stewart loved more than his fireworks career were his daughters. He became a first-time Dad to his daughter Emily in 1992 and again to his daughter Sarah in 1996. He always said that the job he cared the most about in his life was being a good dad, and he wasn’t just a good dad, he was the best. He would always say that if you are going to spend an hour doing something, you might as well spend an extra thirty minutes to make sure it’s even better - and he really lived by that. He always made sure that every birthday was special, granting any wish that was “within reason”, and usually buying 2-3 birthday cards because one was never enough. Once, he even let his daughters pick their summer vacation destination - they (randomly) picked South Dakota because it was the furthest they had ever been, but true to his word, they loaded up the family minivan and headed north. Stewart was a kid at heart and loved an adventure - the golden rule of any road trip was that you couldn’t overplan a road trip because you had to leave enough time “in case you came across the world’s largest ball of yarn!”

Stewart wasn’t just a great dad at home, he was also an active participant in his daughters lives. He coached Sarah’s YMCA volleyball team, went on “daddy/daughter” girl scout camping trips and dances with Emily’s troop, volunteered his motorcycle to be the prop for photos at the 8th grade dance, and never missed a performance or awards ceremony for either of his daughters, even if that meant that he had to drive overnight from being out of town for a work trip to make sure he didn’t miss it. He truly loved his daughters not just in words but in action, and they loved him. In more recent times, he became a grandfather, which he loved so much. No matter what was happening with his health, he always asked how his “little buddy” was doing and loved all of the time they spent together both in person and on the phone.

Stewart passed away peacefully on July 26, and he will be missed more than words can express.

Stewart is survived by his oldest daughter, Emily Laurel, husband Gabe, and grandson, August; his youngest daughter Sarah Bowles; his sister Carole Rexer and husband Bernard; nieces and nephews Jennie, Bern, Katherine, Jennifer, Karen, and Rachael; great nieces and nephews Elizabeth, Madeleine, Fallon, Margaret (Maggie), Charlotte, Ava, and Michael, and numerous extended family members.