RAYMOND BOWER Jr.

1940 - 2019

BOWER, Raymond Jr. A longtime resident of Malden, passed away on Saturday, October 12th, 2019. Born in Everett in 1940, Ray was the son of the late Raymond, Sr. (1911-1941) and Mildred M. (Clark) Bower (1913-2014). He was the husband of the late Patricia A. (Cunningham) Bower (1943-2007). Ray grew up in Everett and graduated from Everett Vocational High School in 1960. After high school, he went to work as a truck body builder with James A. Kiley Company in Somerville, where he enjoyed 20 years working on utility trucks. He then took a position as groundskeeper at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, where he worked until his retirement in 2009. In his work at Holy Cross, Ray received a letter of commendation from his employer acknowledging the numerous compliments from visitors to the cemetery regarding the level of attention and professional care he provided. This was who Ray was, it was simply his nature to be thoughtful and compassionate to others. A cabinet maker by trade, Ray was an extremely talented woodworker and built many beautiful pieces of furniture in his youth that are still in excellent condition and will lovingly remain with his family. Ray also loved everything about old cars and enjoyed going to car shows, tinkering with and changing their oil, and detailing them. He spent many hours building and painting model cars at the kitchen table. He was a quiet man around most (especially those who didn't know him), but with his family and friends, he had an incredible sense of humor and loved telling jokes and pulling little pranks–his laughter and joy will be sorely missed. He is survived by his son, Raymond P. Bower of Dorchester, his two daughters, Michele M. Algreen of Boulder, CO and Marie E. Bower of Burbank, CA, his son-in-law Paul Algreen, and his cherished grandson, Casey. He also leaves several in-laws, nieces, and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations in Rays name may be made to the Malden DAV, 85 Willow Street, Malden, MA 02148. A Celebration of Raymond's Life will be held at a later date.