Thomas Bowden

Thomas R. Bowden of Gresham Oregon died on December 27, 2024. He was the son of John N. Bowden and Florence L. Hackel. He is survived by four brothers, (Jalmar Bowden, Matthew Bowden, Vincent Hackel, Kenneth Hackel) and three sisters (Helen Josephine, Marion McHenry, Carolyn Bowden). He was the loving husband of Susan Stroh and father to Garth Bowden and Brent Bowden. He passed away peacefully from esophageal cancer in the family home at the age of 77.

Tom grew up in San Antonio, Texas and the Chicago area, where he later attended Monmouth College. A lifelong advocate of nonviolence, he was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. Later, life brought him to the California Bay Area, where he met Susan Stroh. In September 1975, they married in Yosemite Valley. Tom trained as a computer programmer in 1980, eventually finding his niche as a COBOL programmer writing code for mainframes. He retired in 2013.

Throughout his life, Tom pursued many hobbies. He was a singer, actor, and guitar player in High School and later appeared in the Chicago production of the musical Hair (1969-1972). He loved to camp at Tuolumne Meadows every summer, a place to which he had a special spiritual connection. He enjoyed homebrewing and became a certified beer judge. He studied Shotokan Karate, Tai Qi, and Qing Yi and went on to teach a Tai Qi class. In all of these hobbies and other interests, he touched many lives, made many friends, and left the world better.

Chief among Tom's lifelong projects was his study of UFOs. Tom worked tirelessly as the Oregon State Director for Oregon Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). As a member of this organization, he trained new investigators, advocated for government disclosure, and conducted rigorous fieldwork. He believed in scientific, evidence-based ufology.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to MUFON:

https://www.oregonmufon.com/index.php/donate