Albert H. Bowers

BOWERS, HOESSLY, SMITH

Posted By: Ruth Maring - Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/18/2006 at 19:09:09

The Clinton Herald
Published: June 16, 2006 10:55 am

Albert H. Bowers

Albert H. Bowers, 87, of Clinton, Iowa died Wednesday, June 14 in Clinton. There will be no visitation, and services will be private, with burial in Ashland (Ohio) Cemetery. A commemoration and celebration of his life, to be held in Clinton at a later date, is being planned by his family. The Clinton Chapel Snell-Zornig Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

He was born March 17, 1919, in Lakewood, Ohio to Rev. Roy E. and Frances H. Bowers. He received his B.S. Degree in agronomy from Penn State University in 1941, and his M.S. In soil sciences from Michigan State University in 1947. He joined the U.S. Navy in February 1942, and served on Saipan and Iwo Jima in the South Pacific prior to his honorable discharge from active duty as LT. (jg) in October 1945. After the war, he continued his service with the US Naval Reserve, achieving the rank of Commander.

He first worked for the USDA Soil Conservation Service, in 1941 and again in 1945-46. He joined Swift & Company’s Agricultural Chemical Division in Chicago in 1947. From 1963 until his retirement in 1984, he was Marketing Manager, Industrial and Specialty Products, for Hawkeye Chemical Company in Clinton.

Community was very important to him, and he was actively engaged in volunteer service throughout his adult life, including: Clinton County Historical Society, board member and president; Clinton Community School Board, member; Clinton Area Development Corp., board member and secretary; Paul B. Sharar Foundation, board member and president; Jefferson School Learning Resource Program, volunteer tutor; Clinton Main Street Program, co-chair; Van Allen Building Steering Committee, member; Bickelhaupt Arboretum, volunteer; and Clinton County Small Claims Court, mediator. He was a member of Rotary Club and for many years enjoyed the daily company of the “coffee gang” at various restaurants around Clinton.

His deep interest in history led to his participation as a writer and researcher for the Clinton County Historical Society’s 1976 History of Clinton County; he also compiled a slide show on Clinton’s 19th century lumber industry that he presented to numerous organizations. A gardener to the last, he also enjoyed photography, “hacker golf”, historic preservation, geology, and local history.

He was a prolific letter writer, regularly expressing his opinions, approving or not, to his children and grandchildren, to community and government organizations, and to newspapers and magazines - some of which were published (more than once in Time!), to the delight of his family. His occasional, triple-carbon missives to his children, composed on an Olympia International typewriter, were continuous throughout his life, each one opening with “Hi Everybody!” and closing with “Love Dad”.

Survivors include his wife, Marilynn (Hoessly) of Clinton; a daughter, Martha of Newburyport, Massachusetts; two sons, John (and daughter-in-law Sherrie Smith) of Silver Spring, Maryland and Peter (and daughter-in-law Shirley) of Des Moines; and grandchildren James and Emily Bowers of Des Moines.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Clinton County Conservation Commission, PO Box 68, Grand Mound, Iowa 52751.

Albert H. Bowers

Clinton, Iowa

March 17, 1919 - June 14, 2006