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Mary Ellen Young Bowden

Mary Bowden Obituary

WINDSOR - Mary Ellen Young Bowden, 77, a resident of Windsor died Friday, Dec. 25, 2009.
She was a native of King & Queen County and the daughter of the late James William and Mary Evans Young. She retired in 1979 after 32 years from Newport Business Forms, Hampton. She was a member of Tucker Swamp Baptist Church, Zuni.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Dean Bowden, for whom her heart always ached.
She loved to travel and made many everlasting memories with her dearest friend and great-niece, Mary Martin, who was by her side when she went to be with the Lord and the love of her life, Harold. Her favorite hobbies were finding bargains and shopping. She lived up to the phrase 'Shopoholic.'
Left to cherish her memory are David, Mary and 'That Baby' Aaliyah Martin of Windsor; cousins, Katherine Gabor and Diane Gabor of Mattaponi; great-nieces, Fayellen Brooks (Randy) of Sutherland, Missy Bowden of Tampa, Fla., great-nephew, Larry Dean Sheffield of Hampton.
Special thanks to Brenda Tooley of Suffolk and Peggy Broadnax of Smithfield, for their support and the wonderful care that they provided to Mrs. Bowden and our family. You both are truly special.
A private graveside service was held Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009. Purviance Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, in Wakefield, handled arrangements.
In her memory, we ask that any donations be made to American Diabetes Association or Isle of Wight County Animal Shelter. View and post condolences on our online guestbook at dailypress.com/guestbooks.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Daily Press from Dec. 30 to Dec. 31, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
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4 Entries

Missy Bowden

January 1, 2010

I have a lot of fond memories of going to Aunt Mary's house. She lived "around the corner" from me and I was always getting in trouble for going there. She would always tell my momma "let her stay, she isn't doing anything wrong." We always had fun when she came to Florida so she could go to the Flea Markets. We would hide whatever she got from Uncle Harold, usually in another bag she had already put in the bedroom. He always found it because she told on herself! Uncle Harold would say, when he loaded up the truck, "well, we're going to look like a band of gypsies going down the road." Aunt Mary and I would laugh.

There was always diet Pepsi, butter bean soup, spoon bread, a country ham, collard greens, tea and coffee when we went to visit her and she even made them at my house in Florida when they visited.

Grace loved her eggplant parmigiana, my dad said she could make the best cauliflower (with cheese sauce) and pork tenderloin. There was always a lot of sweets because Uncle Harold needed a dessert every night. And she always wanted a little something sweet and would break off a piece of your cake and eat it. But you had to look out because that “little something sweet” would sometimes make you get more (because she ate it all). When she was diagnosed with diabetes, she would grab something sweet and when you said she shouldn't have that, she would say “well, it isn't that sweet, its okay.” I learned a lot by sitting at her kitchen table and watching her.

Even though I haven' seen her in awhile, I am going to miss her, her spoon bread and her “scars”.

She listened to me when I needed someone to listen, talked when I needed advise and loved me for who I am and not what I could have been.

I will surely miss my Aunt Mary.

Missy Bowden

January 1, 2010

I have a lot of fond memories of going to Aunt Mary's house. She lived "around the corner" from me and I was always getting in trouble for going there. She would always tell my momma "let her stay, she isn't doing anything wrong." We always had fun when she came to Florida so she could go to the Flea Markets. We would hide whatever she got from Uncle Harold, usually in another bag she had already put in the bedroom. He always found it because she told on herself! Uncle Harold would say, when he loaded up the truck, "well, we're going to look like a band of gypsies going down the road." Aunt Mary and I would laugh.

There was always diet Pepsi, butter bean soup, spoon bread, a country ham, collard greens, tea and coffee when we went to visit her and she even made them at my house in Florida when they visited.

Grace loved her eggplant parmigiana, my dad said she could make the best cauliflower (with cheese sauce) and pork tenderloin. There was always a lot of sweets because Uncle Harold needed a dessert every night. And she always wanted a little something sweet and would break off a piece of your cake and eat it. But you had to look out because that “little something sweet” would sometimes make you get more (because she ate it all). When she was diagnosed with diabetes, she would grab something sweet and when you said she shouldn't have that, she would say “well, it isn't that sweet, its okay.” I learned a lot by sitting at her kitchen table and watching her.

Even though I haven' seen her in awhile, I am going to miss her, her spoon bread and her “scars”.

She listened to me when I needed someone to listen, talked when I needed advise and loved me for who I am and not what I could have been.

I will surely miss my Aunt Mary.

DEBORAH BARTLEY

December 31, 2009

I HAD WRITTEN EARLIER AND FORGOT TO PUT HOW I WILL MISS MY AUNT MARY'S COCONUT PIES, AND HER LAUGHTER.

Rich Wuska

December 30, 2009

Last seen her in Idaho some years ago when visiting my Dad. Both Harold and Mary were there. I have a pic of her when we were traveling.

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