Our beloved dad, brother, and shepherd of the Lord’s sheep, Donald E. Bowen born June 23rd, 1934, went to be with the Lord in the early morning hours Wednesday, December 15th after a fall at home in Yucaipa resulting in a subdural hematoma. Don was born in Ogden, Utah, the 2nd son of Donald A. and Ethel Bowen, who had moved to Santa Barbara California in the 1940s. It was there that Don met his beloved wife Shirley and was married in the Spring of 1950. After losing his elder brother in a military training accident, Don received the Lord in a dynamic way by desperately calling on the Lord’s name at Inspiration Point in Santa Barbara. He became a zealous lover of the Lord and was called by the Lord to serve Him as a missionary. After graduating from SBCC with a degree in psychology and two years of missionary training, he was redirected to serve God in His move in the United States. Don will be remembered by all of us as a man of strong faith, always with a song or a verse or a testimony of his enjoyment of the Lord he loved. He was a lover of the Lord Jesus, to whom he gave his whole life, and a lover of people.
Three years ago, on December 9, 2018, he said goodbye to Shirley who suffered with Alzheimer’s. He continued to live each day loving the Lord, reading His Word, always joyful, with a smile on his face, and a song to share with others. Don and Shirley served together side-by-side for over 60 years. They are survived by their 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren: Lori, Bob (and Beta, Jason and Jessica), Sandra (and Mark Elliott (deceased), Rosanne and Shawn Marshall, Elizabeth and Mike, James and Eliana McCoy), Jenny (and David, Linnea and Lily Johnsen) and Paul (and Magda and Janelle). Don will be greatly missed by all… Praise our dear Lord Jesus for such a pattern!