Yvonne Bowles Sears

1934 - 2016

Yvonne Bowles Sears
1934-2016
Yvonne Bowles Sears died suddenly at home on March 24, 2016 at the age of 81. She was born in Portland, OR in 1934, middle child of 3 daughters of Gibson and Florence Wahl Bowles.
She grew up in Portland, graduated from Grant High School, attended Willamette University in Salem, OR for 2 years, then the University of Oregon Nursing School in Portland where she graduated in 1957 with BS and RN degrees. In 1958 she married David Alan Sears, of Portland. In 1959 they moved to Rochester, NY where she earned a Master's Degree in education at the University of Rochester. They lived in Rochester, then in the Washington, DC area, and again in Rochester until in 1969 they moved to San Antonio, TX and then in 1980 to Houston where they have lived since.
With the raising of 3 children and their moves, Yvonne pursued a variety of occupations. She served as a nurse, mainly in pediatrics and obstetrics, and taught in schools of nursing in both classroom and hospital settings. In San Antonio she took advantage of skills and interests learned in her youth from her father and achieved success as a sales associate and then office manager for 5 years in a prominent residential real estate brokerage firm. With the move to Houston, she turned to jobs in education as an administrative assistant, first in the high school her daughter attended, and then for several years at Rice University.
Yvonne, always generous with her time, talents, and affection, served and received tributes from many institutions. At Willamette she received scholastic honors and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. As a nursing student, she was vice-president of the National Student Nurses Association and was valedictorian of her nursing school class. As a San Antonio real estate agent, she was a member of the then elite "million dollar club". Also in San Antonio she was so active in her husband's Yale Club and Alumni Schools Committee that the club, with the consent of the national organization, made her an honorary member of his Yale Class of 1953. She was elected a ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church and with her Houston church participated in four medical mission trips to rural Honduras. Music was always an important part of Yvonne's life. She sang in groups and as a soloist all the way through school. Subsequently she sang in several church choirs and for the Mastersingers Symphony Chorus in San Antonio. In retirement years Yvonne greatly enjoyed the travel opportunities she and David pursued. Perhaps the most cherished "travel", though, was that leading to stays at their South Padre Island beach house which they built just a few years after they moved to Texas. Despite the experiences and rewards of her active life, all who knew and loved her would agree that the most important aspect of life to her was her family, particularly her husband, children and grandchildren, whom she loved and supported and whose lives she followed with never-waning enthusiasm.
Yvonne was preceded in death by her parents and by her sisters, Geraldine Bowles Olsen of Vienna, VA and Sandra Bowles Coulter of Tonkawa, OK and their husbands. She is survived by her husband David of 57 years and her 3 children, Geoffrey Bowles Sears and his wife Janice, Cameron Johnson Sears and his wife Nancy Duckles, and Andrea Sears Andrews and her husband Jaye. Each of her 3 children had 3 children, and Yvonne treasured her 9 grandchildren, 7 girls and 2 boys, now ranging in age from 16 to 23 years. She is also survived by her niece, Greer Olsen Lautrup and her husband, Robert.
A memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Saturday, the 23rd of April at First Presbyterian Church of Houston, 5300 Main St. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception at the church.
In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions in Yvonne's memory may be directed to First Presbyterian Church of Houston, designated particularly for the Micah Boys Project in Honduras or international medical missions. Alternatively, donations may be made to charities of your choice.