Bill Bowen

I don´t have the earliest memory of Uncle Bill because he has always been there. He has always been larger than life to me. We shared our love for horses. Growing up I showed my horses but also showed Uncle Bills horses. When I would stay at my Grandparents for a few days I would take a horse to ride and here would come Uncle Bill trailer in tow. We would ride all day. After I married a farmer/rancher and had lots of acres Uncle Bill would bring his horse and some friends and we would ride all day. We have a lot of riding hours and miles together. He never knew but he is the only way I made it through loosing my grandmother. He was right there with me to the end and then even more. Rest in peace Uncle Bill and go ride all those great horses til I get to ride with you again! Oh and give grandma and grandpa hugs for me!

Bill Bowen has been a good friend to many people over the years, and certainly has been a good friend to me. We have shared stories from our youth over luncheons, been on road trips to pick up donated horses, attended rodeos and horse shows together, and many other activities together. He has been a confidant with whom I could go to for questions on agriculture, education, law enforcement and other topics on which I trusted his experience and wisdom. He has been the kind of friend with whom I could visit and converse and know that our communication would be evaluated and shared only selectively. He was a rare friend that I will think of frequently and will often miss.

Much of our time was spent in trying to enhance the equestrian program at Southern Nazarene University where we both were employed. He took on the leadership of the program about the year 2000 when the location was positioned on OKC Airport Trust property south of Wiley Post Airport. He developed the facility from no buildings and few horses into its present status. This involved adding two main barn structures, building out the interiors of the barns, and adding equipment to take care of the animals. With his extensive knowledge of the equine industry and his wide contacts within, horses and equipment were brought on, and the student team (which he coached) was inducted into the International Horse Show Association (ISHA). All this was accomplished with limited budgetary support and the outside funding that he raised from numerous friends of his in the industry. Today it stands as a legacy to his hard work and vision. The SNU equestrian team competes in a region of the ISHA with Texas Tech, Tarleton State University, the University of North Texas, West Texas A & M, and other much larger institutions, and does so very successfully, a result of Bill´s work and vision.

But my strongest memories from numerous interactions with Bill were ones related to his descriptions of his family members. He was not ashamed to brag on his wife of over half a century, Sheri, and her life and career as a banking executive. He was so proud of his son Chris, who followed him into the law enforcement career track. And of course he spoke proudly of Alyssa and Alex, grandchildren who must have supernatural talents. In all, he was a family man first and foremost, and his investment in the their lives was the most important legacy he leaves.

There is much more that I could say about this good man related to his career in police work, his military service, his volunteer investment in the Bethany community, and more. Summing up this brief tribute, Bill Bowen was a great friend to me and many others. He will be missed, and his contributions to family, community and university appreciated into the future.

It´s been a valuable friendship that Bill and I shared for more than two decades. He was a person with great people skills. He invested in all types of folk from `important´ leaders in the City of Bethany from his service as Chief of Police, to laborers in various vocations in university and community. It amazed me to learn from time to time that he knew people in many walks of life and had established relationships with them. I particularly learned from him in areas of equestrian and agricultural life. He grew up in southwest Oklahoma near to where my grandparents lived and farmed. We scarcely ever went to lunch for one on one conversations when we didn´t discover new topics which we had in common. I will continue to think about what he taught me and how he enhanced my life through his wisdom and friendship. I pray for his family, particularly Sheri and Chris and their family. Bill loved family above averything, especially his grandchildren. God bless them as they process a future without this valuable source of love and support. Loren Gresham