Guy Benjamin Clowser 1912-2000

CLOWSER GOWEY LARSON

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 11/12/2009 at 21:59:03

Onawa Sentinel
19 October 2000

Guy Benjamin Clowser was born November 29, 1912, in Page County in southwestern Iowa to Charles L and LaVerna (Gowey) Clowser. He died September 13, 2000 in Burnet, Texas. Guy was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church of Marble Falls.

HIs family moved to Onawa, Iowa when he was in grade school. He graduated from Onawa High School in 1931. He worked from the time he was about 10 starting with a shoe-shine box in a barbershop. This started a lifelong habit of determining what to work with to complete the best job. With every facet of his life, he adapted to the task at hand. During the war he was asked to manage a grain elevator processing soybeans and corn for the war effort. He redesigned this operation and increased capacity tenfold. He went on to later do this for a flourmill he was managing. He was a successful salesman for Hobart, selling commercial machines used in grocery stores, butcher, shops and bakeries. Later he became involved in a nursery operation where he designed landscapes for homes and businesses later becoming sales manager. The final stage of his career took him into the Health Department of Black Hawk County, as a Registered Sanitarian. He inspected food establishments of all kinds educating people on the elements of cleanliness in handling food products from the store to the eating establishment. He never stopped learning and was constantly reading to find new things of interest to him.

He married Mildred Livingood in 1937 and they had three children. In 1946 he married Mary Jane Larson with whom he had five children. He was preceded in death by both wives, two sons, Gary and Jeffrey; and one daughter, Linda.

He is survived by two sons, Eric and Todd; three daughters, Brenda, Leah, and Jill; and his longtime companion, Dian Bowers; a sister, Ruth Weaver; and two brothers, Don and Eddie. He also had fourteen grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren.

Rev. Les Borsay officiated at the memorial service held at Waterloo, Iowa on Saturday.