Charlotte Rethelia Bowers

Charlotte Rethelia Bowers, 82, of Plano, Texas, passed away on Saturday, April 29, 2023. She was born on April 2, 1941, in Idabel, Oklahoma, to the late Sam and Opal (Denison) Montgomery. She was raised in a military family while her father served in the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Her fondest memories are from when they were living in Pensacola, Florida, Okinawa, Japan, and Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up attending the Baptist church where her grandfather was a Pastor and this laid a strong foundation of faith that would carry throughout her lifetime. Charlotte was very proud of her Choctaw heritage, a roll carrying member of the Choctaw Nation, which she embraced well into her adulthood.

She was a 1960 graduate of Idabel High School and attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers College. While visiting family in Paris, Texas she met her future husband, Jerry Bowers, while roller skating, which is something they continued to enjoy with their grandchildren until recent years. As she was still living in Missouri, she and Jerry exchanged letters nearly weekly until they could be together again. Her father’s retirement lead them to relocate to Paris, Texas to be near family.

On September 15th, 1962, Charlotte married the love of her life and they soon started a family, raising a daughter and a son. She was a dedicated wife and mother, and her greatest pride and joy was her family. The time spent with them, supporting them, and doing for them brought her true contentment. Charlotte had a way of making everyone feel loved. She was the neighborhood mom, often hosting many of her children’s friends and neighborhood kids, as she loved being surrounded by people and making everyone feel included and welcomed.

Charlotte was very interested in her children’s education from childhood into college. During this time, she also supported Jerry’s passion for professional drag racing attending events across the country as well as her daughter’s passion for dance and her son’s passion for soccer. In recent years she renewed her passion for the piano, something she had pursued prior to marriage and starting a family.

She never met a stranger and was a wonderful friend to all with her bubbly and outgoing personality. Charlotte leaves behind a legacy of devotion and love and she will be greatly missed by all who loved and knew her.

Charlotte is survived by her husband of 60 years, Jerry Wayne Bowers; her two children and their spouses, Laura and Tim Taylor of Blue Ridge, Texas, and Mike and Denise Bowers of Allen, Texas; twin granddaughters, Julia and Caroline Taylor; and brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Wanda Montgomery of Paris, Texas. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 10am at the Renewal Baptist Church, 2717 18th St., Plano, Texas 75074. She will be laid to rest in Denison Cemetery in Idabel, Oklahoma, with many family members that have gone before her.