John Partin Bowen, 74, lost his fight with Shy Drager neurological disease on June 18, 2018. John was particularly proud of the fact that he and his wife, Sandra Atkins Bowen, celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary on February 24, 2018. Always proud of his son, he was extremely pleased when Wes became a Physician Assistant. Besides his wife, John is survived by his son, Wesley Paul Bowen and his wife Christine; and grandson Nathan Betsill Bowen and his wife Rachael. Other survivors include his brothers Joseph and Nelson (Shirley) Bowen; sisters Dorothy Enos and Agnes (Dwight) Lee; sister-in-law Carolyn (Dennis) Combs; and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents William Carroll Bowen and Auda Partin Bowen; his brother Edward Lee Bowen; brother-in-law Stan Matuszewski; sisters-in-law Jean Matuszewski, Virginia Atkins, Viola Bowen; and mother-in-law Runelle McClendon.
John was born September 19, 1943, in Cleveland, Ohio. In his early teens, after the death of his younger brother and his father’s retirement, his family moved to Winchester, TN. John served 8 years in the US Air Force stationed in Panama City, FL, Wiesbaden, Germany, and Starkville, MS. He retired from Roadway Express Truck Lines after 30 years (July 1968 – Oct 1998) and for 3 years drove a school bus for the Fayette County School System. He and his wife moved to Destin in April, 2017 and later Santa Rosa Beach, FL to live with their son during the last stages of his illness with Multiple System Atrophy. Johnny was a wonderful husband and father. He was a Christian and faithfully believed in John 3:16. Johnny is loved and missed beyond measure.
A Memorial Service will be held at the Chapel of Carl J Mowell & Son Funeral Home in Fayetteville, Ga., on August 4, 2018, at 4 p.m. The family will receive friends at 3 p.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family lovingly requests donations to Shy Drager Syndrome/Multiple System Atrophy Charities.
Carl J. Mowell & Son Funeral Home – www.mowellfuneralhome.com
