Elizabeth Bowling

Elizabeth Marshall Bowling

Resident of San Jose

Aged 72, died on 11/10/2010, in San Jose, California after a long illness. Ms Bowling was the daughter of the late John Travers Bowling and Jane Brockenbrough Trapnell. She was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Alexandria, VA, where she graduated from George Washington High School. She attended Longwood College (now Longwood University), and transferred to Richmond Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University), from which she graduated in 1961.

She had a 15 year association with American Airlines, working in reservations; she began her career with American in the Washington, D.C. area, and moved with the company to San Jose, CA. She adopted San Jose as her home, embracing the area with great vigor. She was active in the Olinder Neighborhood Association, and was very active with a Food Group distributing free food to all comers twice weekly from the Olinder Center. Her volunteer work also included working for San Jose Public Television KTEH, 1995-1998.

In her retirement, she continued her education, pursuing a Master's Degree in history at San Jose State University, which she was unable to complete due to her failing health. She was however quite proud of her over all GPA at SJSU of 3.94. She was an artistic and creative person, painting in both watercolor and oil, and was very accomplished in knitting, and Crochet, which she learned from her grandmother, Elizabeth Colston Trapnell. However, her great passion was counted cross-stitch. Her mastery of the form extended beyond the many beautiful pieces that she created for family and friends; she designed her own patterns and her work was honored with many prizes in various competitions.

Retirement also had her become active with the American Red Cross. Before her failing health got in the way she traveled as a volunteer, finding great satisfaction in helping others. She was called upon to go to Louisiana for many weeks due to Katrina. She was also dispatched to Massachusetts and Alaska for extended periods to render assistance.

She is survived by her younger brother, Thomas Clagett Bowling, III, President of Ivy Hill Cemetery Company in Alexandria, Virginia and Karen Lynn Rourk, her San Jose neighbor and friend of more than 30 years, as well as by a large extended family. There will be a private interment of the cremains in the family cemetery with her sister, parents, both sets of grandparents, great grandparents just to list a few of her relatives buried in Zion Episcopal Church Cemetery, Charles Town, WV, 19 March 2011