George Robert Bowen

George Robert (Bob) Bowen was born in Macon, Georgia on August 13, 1927 to George Leslie Bowen and Margaret Gale Brown. He died February 5, 2019, after a battle with cancer in Austin, Texas. Known as Bob to his friends, he lived a full life and felt immensely blessed and sure of his resurrection in Christ.

Although he was born in Georgia where his father worked for JC Penney, Bob grew up living in Fayetteville, Arkansas with his older sister Mary Margaret and older brother Tom. It was a great place to grow up, and Bob was very athletic. He played basketball, football, where he was captain. And he was elected president of the senior class of 1945 Fayetteville High School. During the summers, he worked with his dad at the JCPenney store, where he began to develop his considerable management skills.

Some of his dearest friends growing up were Jim Stice & Charlie Stewart. Many stories have been told of the shenanigans of the young men. He began playing the clarinet and saxophone when he was in high school. Bob had a wonderful sense of music and a gorgeous baritone voice, inherited from his folks who both sang opera at Hastings College.

On August 7, 1945, Bob and several of his friends enlisted in the Navy. Bob served a year in the Navy in the Persian Gulf, and then returned to Fayetteville, where he completed his degree at the University of Arkansas in Engineering. Bob was a serious student and was admitted to several honorary societies. But he also enjoyed being social and served as president of his Sigma Chi chapter at the University.

Bob and Alice met on a blind date in 1948 and were engaged by Christmas 1949. They were married in March 1950 and moved to Texas City, where Bob worked for Union Carbide and then Marchant Calculating Machine Co. before following in his father’s footsteps and beginning his 30 year career with JC Penney. They joined the Presbyterian Church in Texas City, where he served as a deacon. In Texas City, they met their life-long best friends, the Montgomery’s, while gathering on a Saturday night to watch TV at the golf hut. While in Texas City they welcomed their children Bruce and Leslie.

After a time in Texas City, JCPenney moved them to Lubbock, and then to Mesquite in 1959 where Bob was assistant manager at the Big Town store. They attended First Presbyterian Church in Mesquite where Alice’s grandmother was a charter member, and where Alice had been baptized. After several years as an assistant manager, Bob was given his first store to manage in Lufkin in 1963. After only a little more than a year, they were transferred to the Mayfair store in Oklahoma City, where they stayed until Bruce and Leslie graduated high school.

After the house was empty, they moved once again, this time to Sikeston, Missouri in 1973. Just about the time they were settling in, the company offered Bob a big challenge. In 1976, he was assigned to open the new Windsor Park Mall store in San Antonio, which would be his crowning glory. Bob was known throughout JCPenney for his ability to train leaders and find the best in people. They lived in Windcrest and joined John Calvin Presbyterian Church where they stayed busy serving others.

After retirement, Bob and Alice continued to travel, moved to Lakeway to be close to their friends the Montgomery’s, back to San Antonio and ultimately moved back to Austin to be closer to family and grandchildren. They joined Hope Presbyterian church where their grandchildren were baptized. They quickly found their home with this church family, especially enjoying their Wednesday morning bible study group, supper club and their many friends.

Bob was an active Rotarian for many years, especially with the international business exchange program. Both Bob and Alice formed lasting relationships all around the world through hosting international businessmen from Japan, India, Australia, and visited many of them on their travels around the world.

Bob was an avid golfer, as was Alice. He and Alice played golf all over the world, but he most enjoyed golfing with dear friends such as the Montgomery’s, with the Grasshoppers’, or the local Hope Men’s group. He finally had a hole in one, and even played in some ProAm tournaments - as the amateur of course!

Bob and Alice loved to travel and easily made lasting friends wherever they went – whether a random couple on a cruise, a group trip, or just a fellow passenger on a train. They especially enjoyed their 3-month around-the-world trip which they took after his retirement, visiting friends in every country they toured. Of course, there were many, many trips to play golf on exotic and not so exotic courses from Hawaii, Ireland, to Japan, Burnet Texas and more. But most of all, they worked hard at building relationships and caring for people, while enjoying life.

The love of his life died in 2014, and Bob missed her dearly. But even so, he kept moving and being involved. After a while, he joined the Singles Group at Hope, and enjoyed fun outings with the group. The many, many friends at Hope held a special place in his heart.

After his leg amputation in March of 2015, Bob never gave up or gave in to pity. During rehab to learn to walk again, the desire to get back on the golf course motivated him to persevere. He was able to return to golfing for a little while, still maintaining that smooth, straight drive that was his signature swing.

In 2015, Bob relocated to an independent living community Lakeline Oaks. He enjoyed being around people and there he continued to build friendships and care for others. He often told Leslie, “Some days when I start feeling sorry for myself, I just look around at others and realize I am so blessed and I have nothing to complain about. So rather than complain, I just try to lift other people’s spirits.” Bob truly cared for other people and lived that out in his actions.

When he married Alice, he married into the Jarvis clan and become a beloved “out-law.” It is difficult to find words to explain the depth of those relationships and love shared among the Jarvis clan. Many wonderful memories were formed on July 4th weekends sharing cabrito and catfish on the Llano River, with over 100 relatives – and one bathroom!

As a couple, Bob and Alice were a dynamic duo. They were generous, caring, and always concerned about other people. Bob would often say, “Their agreement was that he would work and make a living and Alice would take care of the souls.” Though he didn’t work on as many committees, or start new programs the way Alice did, Bob demonstrated his faith through his relationships with the people and lived by the golden rule- which was more to him than just the motto of JCPenney.

He was preceded in death by his precious beloved Alice, his parents, and his siblings, Mary Margaret Morton and Thomas Willard Bowen and his great grandson Job Whitcomb McCown. He is survived by his son, Bruce Keefe Bowen and wife Nancy Lynn Johnston Bowen, and his daughter, Leslie Gale Bowen Ray and her husband, James Matthew Ray. The apple of his eye were his three grandchildren and the many great grandchildren: James Christopher Ray, wife Amy Sarah Barton Ray and son James Bowen; Chelsea Elizabeth Ray McCown , husband Jace William McCown and children Jarvis William, Joelle Walker, Jonah Wakefield, Jean Wilder, Jocelyn Wanza and Julianna Weldon; and James Patrick Ray, wife Jaclyn Ellen Quisenberry Ray and children James Colton and Morgan Claire; and many nieces and nephews, and cousins, and scores of friends across the world.

Donations in his memory can be made to Hospice Austin Christopher House, the University of Arkansas Margaret & George Bowen Music Scholarship, or a charity of your choice.