Robert Alan Fowler

Robert Alan Fowler was born on January 9th, 1938 at Seaside Memorial Hospital in Long Beach, California. He was the eldest son of Gertrude Elizabeth Windes and Robert Vance “Buddy” Fowler. He would be joined by sister Kathryn six years later. Buddy served eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps, surviving the Battle of Tarawa during World War II. Gertrude worked as a bookkeeper for the Bixby Land Company in an office at Rancho Los Alamitos.

Alan grew up in Long Beach, living in Atlantic Village, Belmont Shore, Belmont Heights and Los Altos. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1955. He attended Chapman College in the City of Orange, graduating with a degree in Political Science. While in college, he began working summers at Disneyland, first as a stage coach driver through the Living Desert, then as a river boat captain on the Jungle Cruise. We suspect the latter may have been where he first developed his love of silly puns.

In 1964 and 1965, Disney sent him to the New York World’s Fair, where he worked as a ride operator at the new Disney attraction, “it’s a small world.” Returning to California, Disney Studios in Burbank recruited him for their new computer department, where he learned to operate massive mainframes to manage the studio’s payroll. It was here that Alan began his career as a computer programmer.

Working at Disney Studios, he often spent his lunch breaks across the street at the St. Joseph Hospital coffee shop. It was there that he met Terese Pelletier, who was working in admitting. As the story goes, he sidled up to her at the counter and said “Nice weather we’re having.” (Smooth, Dad. Real smooth.) Teri and Alan went bowling on their first date. On their second date, they went to Disneyland. And as he would always remind us kids, “You know, I fell in love with your mother on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.” Soon enough, Alan had stolen her away from that Norm guy. (Teri was engaged at the time!) On August 20th, 1966, they were married in the chapel at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in North Hollywood, just nine months after they first met. (Mom says it would have been sooner but she wanted to wait until she’d turned 21!)

In 1969, they welcomed a son, Richard, followed by daughter Kari in 1972, both of whom were born at St. Joe’s. Raised Congregationalist, Alan soon converted to Catholicism. In 1977, Teri & Alan moved their young family to a small house in North Hollywood, where Teri continues to reside. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Sun Valley would become their new parish, and both of their kids would attend the school there.

Around this time, Alan began working for Security Pacific National Bank as a programmer analyst. (Growing up, dad’s job was always a bit of a mystery, so we just said he was a “computersomethingorother.” One Father’s Day we got him the name plate for his office door, which he hung proudly!) He remained with Security Pacific until it was absorbed by Bank of America (which to us felt like UCLA getting absorbed into USC!). After shorter stints at several other companies, he retired after forty years in the workforce.

Alan was a life-long volunteer. Each summer he helped to build the Holy Rosary Parish Annual Fiesta. He was Treasurer of the PTO at Holy Rosary School. He delivered donated food for St. Vincent de Paul. He was a longtime member of Knights of Columbus. And he participated in Boy Scouts with son Richard for eleven years. Together, Alan and Teri visited troubled youth at Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, and served as Eucharistic ministers. For the last decade, Alan was head usher at Holy Rosary Church.

In retirement, he devoted much of his time to the American Red Cross, working up to twelve blood drives per month, often with Teri. He was also a regular blood donor, donating over 500 units of platelets. He was particularly proud that because he was CMV negative his blood could be given to premature babies. He received many awards during his time with the Red Cross, including Volunteer of the Year for the Southern California Blood Service Region in 2002 and 2006; the Lifesaver Award in 2009; and the Triple Crown Award in 2011 for volunteerism, donation and leadership. Teri and Alan both received a Volunteer Service Award from the President’s Council on Service & Public Participation in 2004 and 2009. This past August, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

In recent years, Alan’s health began to decline. A life-long smoker, he suffered from COPD and was recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. After a short time and a series of complications, he died peacefully at the Country Villa Sheraton Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in North Hills. Though unexpected, he was fortunate that his passing was without pain and without struggle. (He got a Get Out of Jail Free card. Or as Mom says, it was “providential.”)

Alan was a kind and humble man. If you asked him, he would tell you he had it all: wife, kids, house, dog, and the TV tuned to the football game. He was a man of simple tastes, and he considered himself to be very lucky. (We were lucky, too.)

Alan was a proud and devoted son, brother, husband, father and friend. He is survived by his sister Kathryn of Birch Bay, WA; his wife Teri of North Hollywood; son Richard of Denver, CO; and daughter Kari of Valley Village.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross.

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation

Arrangements under the direction of Valley Funeral Home, Burbank, CA.