Jerrold Bowman

Jerrold "Jerry" William Bowman died at the age of 90 years, at his home near Corvallis, Oregon on January 12, 2026, following an extended period of dementia. He was born on August 13, 1935, in Falls City, Oregon, the fourth child of his parents, Ross and Helen (Douglass) Bowman.

Jerry attended Falls City schools through high school. He was the class Valedictorian at graduation, having participated in many school activities, including singing in operettas, competing in basketball, football and baseball, yearbook club, and academics. His freshman year of college was at Western Oregon State College on a basketball scholarship. He transferred to Oregon State University and completed a degree in Pre-Dentistry in 1956. By then, he had met and married his first wife, Sylvia Watson. They moved to Portland, where he graduated from the University of Oregon School of Dentistry in 1960, and started their family with his first three children, Diane, Jerry Jr, and Laura. He entered the US Army soon after graduation, and the young family lived in Stuttgart, Germany for the next 4 years. By 1964, two more children, Bruce and Kristin, had joined the family.

After fulfilling his duty to the Army, Jerry returned to Oregon and set up his dental practice in Corvallis, where he provided dental services for the next 30 years. Over the years he participated in many activities, including team softball, fishing, hunting, camping and other outdoor pastimes. In addition, he resumed singing in community choirs and musicals. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir for many years, which afforded him the opportunity to perform around the world, including St. Petersburg, the Vatican, Great Britain, and Austria. In the US, he and the choir sang at Carnegie Hall, the Spoleto Festival, and the Ernest Bloch Music Festival in Newport, Oregon. Back in Corvallis, one of his proudest moments was singing the Star-Spangled Banner at an OSU Basketball game.

The family moved in 1972 to a farm on 20 acres outside of Corvallis, where Jerry lived the remainder of his life. It was there that he returned to farming activities learned in his childhood, including gardening, raising beef cattle, and managing the forest. He loved animals, especially dogs, and enjoyed bird watching and seeing the deer and other wildlife that lived on his property.

Jerry's first wife, Sylvia, died of cancer in 1995. He married Sue Montgomery in 1997, and she survives him following 27 years together. Jerry is also survived by his children, stepsons Gus and Ben Anderson, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, as well as sisters Linda Carey and Kathy Clark. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 12:00 pm, at Bollman Funeral Home, 287 Washington Street Dallas, Oregon. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Jerry's memory to Serenity Hospice of Eugene, Heartland Humane Society, Corvallis First Presbyterian Chancel Choir, or Benton County Historical Society.

Bollman's Tribute Center is caring for the family.