Bartholomew Allen Sowul
Father, grandfather, architect , patriot
Bartholomew Sowul ("Bart"), 79, of St. Helena, S.C., died Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, in Charleston, S.C. Bart passed peacefully and was with family until the end.
Born in Jersey City, N.J., in 1941, Bart was a man who, in his own words, marched to a different drummer. He was most comfortable being on his own and living life exactly like he wanted. His life journey was shaped by his childhood, where he and his older brother, Matthew, endured strict, perfection seeking Polish parents.
He shunned their desired path into business, and, being self-aware, followed his creative passions to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bart graduated from Pratt in 1964, with a degree in architecture and was able to pursue a career where his artistic and contrarian tendencies would be accepted and rewarded.
No man loved the United States more than Bart. He would have happily and bravely fought for our country, but everyone has their highest and best use. Bart was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent his time in Vietnam designing and building various construction projects. One of those was an officers' night club, where he ended up also working in that venue upon completion. Yes, Bart tended bar in Vietnam.
Working for himself, his architectural career reached its pinnacle in the 1980s designing and building many modern homes in Monmouth County, N.J. His signature design was the pyramid roof.
If you drive down Seaview Ave. in Monmouth Beach, keep an eye out for several of Bart's houses. He never made it to Egypt, but some architectural history class at Pratt must have really made an impression on him. These homes also served as an opportunity to teach his two boys the value of hard work. Bart had no issues with child-labor as long as it was his own children, and he was generous enough to pay them minimum wage for various tasks, most of which were safe.
After many trips to South Carolina with his boys and developing a true love for the lowcountry, Bart moved to Dataw Island in 2008. He was at home there and would regularly be seen walking the streets or working on his golf game.
Athletic abilities were not Bart's strength, but his persistence to teach himself the golf swing was admirable even while futile. What drove him was the dream to have a hobby to share with his boys, his cousin Richard, and his friends at Dataw.
More than architecture, South Carolina, being alone, chopping up the fairway, or dark chocolate, Bart truly loved his two boys. He would hop on a plane or into the car on a moment's notice to go visit his sons, Christian in San Francisco and Brent in Brielle, N.J. He adored his four grandsons and cherished any opportunity to see them or FaceTime with them.
With his boys, he worked so hard, successfully, to parent differently than he had been raised…focusing on the effort not the result, encouraging them to pursue their passions, asking them questions, listening more and lecturing less, wanting to truly know them and be known to them, telling them at every chance how he loved them.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 12:30 p.m. at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Beaufort, S.C., with interment in Beaufort National Cemetery with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org). Anderson Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family.
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Anderson Funeral Home and Crematory611 Robert Smalls Parkway, Beaufort, SC 29906
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