Christopher William Bowen

Christopher William BowenGyroplane pilot, Entrepreneur, Builder and Mechanical Maintenance Superintendent Bluffton, South Carolina/ Claxton: Mr. Christopher William Bowen, 54, born July 06, 1957, died June 08, 2012, from injuries received when his Gyrocopter crashed at Ozier Russell Road, Wrens, Georgia, near the Wrens Airport at 4:00 p.m. It's believed he died suddenly, without pain, on impact. He enjoyed his work at Palmetto Dunes Plantation where he operated the Golf Cart Maintenance Shop for several golf courses on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He also enjoyed flying and knew the dangers involved. Friends who knew him testify to his ability and competency as a Gyrocopter pilot. He was a member of Indian Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Bluffton, South Carolina. Chris loved the Lord and was a loyal friend. He enjoyed being with his friends, hunting, being outdoors, fishing, making delicious low-country boils, maintaining a website for his personal designs of deer hunting stands, caring for his yard and home, and tinkering in his garage. There wasn't much Chris couldn't do. He had an inherited gift and interest for anything mechanical and working on helicopters while in the United States Army which fueled his interest in flying. He was dependable and had a zany sense of humor. Anything to do with building interested him; no surprise that would include building his own home. Chris was born in the Griffin Hospital in Claxton, Georgia, with Dr. Curtis Hames attending for Dr. Griffin. He grew up "an Air Force brat," he said. At age six or seven, a friend asked him, "Where are you from?" Chris replied, "I don't know, but Dad is from Georgia." His proudest moments were the birth of his two sons and two granddaughters. Chris was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Jackson "A.J." Bowen, and his paternal grandmother, Ethel Marguerite Jones Bowen, both of Evans County, Georgia, and his maternal grandfather, Hermann Korzer, and his maternal grandmother, Emma Rheinhold Korzer, both of Wiesbaden, Germany. Survivors: Chris is survived by his wife, Rosemary Roberts Bowen, of Bluffton, South Carolina; his mother, Gerlinde Korzer Jenkins of Bluffton, South Carolina; his father, William Kenneth Bowen, and step-mother, Wealthy Bradley Bowen of Evans County, Georgia; his two sons, Forrest Bowen and Forrest's girlfriend, Amanda Erin Waters of Bluffton, South Carolina and Marion Bowen of Turbeville, South Carolina; three step-sons, Richard Bowen of Bluffton, South Carolina, Shane Crosby of Vidalia, Georgia, and Gary Crosby (Leslie) of Claxton, Georgia; two brothers, Kenneth Craig Bowen of Bluffton, South Carolina, William Robert Bowen (Anna) of West Melbourne, Florida; two half brothers, John West (Kim) of Pickens, South Carolina and Michael DeLoach of Bluffton, South Carolina; one half sister, Sharyl Teresa Anderson, Swainsboro, Georgia; a brother-in-law, Daniel Roberts of Lakeland, Florida; two sisters, Debra Ann Bowen-Moline (John) of Austin, Texas, and Michelle Denise Bowen-Blakley (Paul) of Austin, Texas; two beloved grandchildren, Hannah Elizabeth Bowen and Layla Grace Pye Bowen, whom he loved dearly but was "not able to see enough," he often told his father.; three step-grandchildren, Kaylee Brooke Crosby, Macy Briana Crosby and Shayna Alexis Crosby; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Visitation: Wednesday, June 13, 2012, from 6-8:00 p.m., at J. Mellie NeSmith Funeral Home. Funeral: services honoring the life of Mr. Bowen will be held Thursday, June 14, 2012, at 1:30 p.m., with Reverend Harold Byron Twigg and Reverend John West officiating, at J. Mellie NeSmith Funeral Home Chapel. Pallbearers: Adam Bowen, Taylor Ennis, Jason Craig Holland, James Charles Bowen, Rickey Adam Byous, Christopher Saturday and John Charles Moline. Burial: Ephuses Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Bulloch County, Georgia. Mellie NeSmith Funeral Home in charge of arrangements "Our Family Serving Your Family" "Since 1917"(912) 739-3338