John Thomas Bowen

John Thomas Bowen, also known as Johnny Bongos, passed away very unexpectedly on December 21, 2023 at the age of 40. He was born in Hartford, CT on July 17th, 1983 to his parents Barbara (Yourous) Bowen and the late William Bowen. John was a graduate of Granby Memorial High School in Granby, CT. He worked as a cook in many restaurants and worked for several years as a tire technician at R&N Tire and later, Checkered Flag Auto Center in East Granby, CT. He most recently worked as a cook at Westfield State University in Westfield, MA. He was a drummer dating back to his days with the Marquis of Granby Jr. Ancient Fife and Drum Corps. He played many percussion instruments such as drums, bongos, congas and djembe of local bands such as Stealhead, Rebel Alliance and sat in on the sets of many others. He loved promoting, attending and playing at several music festivals or "festies," as he called them such as Ziontific, Wormtown and Strangecreek. John was also a follower of different bands, particularly Dream Theater, whose concerts he had attended several times. He loved New England sports teams (Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox and Bruins) and was a huge wrestling fan. There are no words to truly describe his life. He was known for his warmth and kindness to those he met. His smile lit up the room and his presence was always felt. He is survived by his mother, Barbara Bowen of Avon, CT, his sisters and brothers Michelle Bowen of Springfield, MA, Erik Bowen of Hartford, CT, Rebecca Bowen of Granby, CT, Nikolas Bowen of Orlando, FL, and Roxanne Bowen of Avon, CT. He also leaves his nephews Joseph, Brady, Alexander and Blaise, great niece and nephew Everleigh and Apollo, aunts, uncles, cousins and countless friends, whom he considered family. He is predeceased by his father, William Bowen. There will be a memorial Mass at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Southwick, MA on Saturday, January 6th at 10:00 am. John's family will receive family and friends at 9:00 am in the church hall before the memorial Mass.