John "Jack" Bernard Fowler, Jr. passed away peacefully on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. He was 92 years old.
The youngest of five children of John and Anna (Costello) Fowler, Jack was born in St. Louis. He was the only boy in the family and received a lot of attention from his four older sisters. He attended St. Roch's Elementary School in University City before enrolling at St. Louis University High School, from which he graduated in 1948. He enrolled at St. Louis University, but was drafted into the Army in 1951 for service during the Korean War and was stationed at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, TX, for two years. He then returned to St. Louis and eventually completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1956.
In May 1960, Jack married Mary Ann Duvall at St. Anthony's Church in South St. Louis and had three children: Kevin, Carol Ann and Joanne Fowler. The young family lived in Chicago and Springfield, IL, for several years where Jack worked in sales for the Coca Cola Company. In 1967, they moved back to St. Louis where Jack began working for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer as a sales representative. Jack worked for Pfizer for 25 years, turning down promotions to remain closer to home and spend more time with his family.
Following the death of Mary Ann, Jack married Barbara (Weindel) Fowler in July 1988. Jack and Barbara were together for 34 years, lived in Des Peres and Kirkwood, and were long standing members of St. Clement's Church. They both loved dogs, especially Golden Retrievers and Labradors.
A devout Catholic, Jack volunteered at St. Clement's Church as a greeter, was an active member of the Knights of Columbus, delivered food to shut-ins for Meals on Wheels, and held leadership positions at the service club Sertoma. With a sharp mind all of his life, Jack read the newspaper front to back and listened attentively to the news, keenly aware of the latest developments in sports and politics. He traveled to Chicago, New York City, Tokyo and Berlin to visit his children and always had a desire to explore, learn and stay up-to-date on his family's activities.
Jack is survived by his wife, Barbara, his son, Kevin and his wife Kathy (Morris) Fowler (of St. Louis), his daughter, Joanne Fowler and her husband, Peter Salvage (of New York, NY), his stepson, David Lenz and his wife Kari (Anderssen) Lenz (of St. Louis), and grandchildren Jack and Kelley Fowler, and Olivia and Ella Salvage. He is also survived by his sister, Betty, and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his wife, Mary Ann (Duvall) Fowler, and his daughter, Carol Ann Fowler, his sisters, Ann Fowler, Margaret (Fowler) Bouchard, and Mary (Fowler) Fossell.
Jack served as a role model to his children and grandchildren, sharing his sharp intelligence, dry sense of humor, endless curiosity and integrity. Jack was a deeply kind man with strong values who made friends easily because of his pleasant and respectful nature. He will be greatly missed.
Funeral Mass will be, Tuesday, December 20, 11:00 a.m. at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church. Interment Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Visitation will Tuesday 10:30 a.m. until time of Mass at Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society of Missouri or to the PKD Foundation.