Josie Lee Bowen

Our beloved Josie Lee Bowen has gone home. At the age of 75, she peacefully departed, leaving behind a family forever bound by the unconditional love she so freely gave. Josie was more than a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, cousin, and sister; she was the very foundation of our family, our wisest counselor, our brightest guiding light, and our cherished matriarch.

Born on November 23rd, 1949, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to L.C. Hollingsworth and Velma (Mae) Knight, Josie's journey brought her and her family to Tacoma, Washington. It was in Tacoma that she proudly raised her children, instilling in them the values of strength, love, and togetherness that she embodied.

Throughout her life, Josie touched countless hearts with her beautiful personality, contagious sense of humor, and loving spirit that drew people to her. Her faith was a cornerstone of her existence. For over 40 years, she found her spiritual home and community at Greater Joy COGIC, the same church her dear mother had attended years before. Josie was not only a woman of God but also the deep-rooted core of our family tree, the compass we instinctively turned to for guidance, no matter the hour. Day or night, she was there – a beacon of strength, overflowing with love, an encouraging prayer, and always, somehow, the answer we needed.

Josie is now reunited with loved ones who passed before her: her mother and father, dear sisters, Dorothy (Mae) Williams and Linda Edwards; and her husband, Lee Bowen.

She is survived by her loving siblings: Annie Gaddis, Shaulah Fairley, Gwendolyn Johnson, and Karl Morgan and devoted children: Edrian Tyrone Hollingsworth, Vivian Antoine Brown, Robert David Bell Jr., Kassandra Deanna Bell, and Clyde Woullard (Becky Grosvenor) as well as very best friend O'LaVonne Mordhorst.

Josie's memory will also be treasured by many grandchildren, who were a profound source of joy in her life: Derrick Bell (Ashlee Bell), Marcus Scott, Erik Brown (Monique Prevost), Shannon Blomlie, Mareece Pona, Derek DeLeon (John DeLeon), Deangela Lopez (Miguel Lopez), Robert Bell III, Yusif Woullard, and Natasha Ford. The light of her love extends to her precious great-grandchildren: Dreshawn Pona, Emma Scott, Ezra Scott, Aamiyah Pona, Avriannah Pona, Josiah Pona, Adonis Pona, Miguel Lopez II, Kire Brown, Kade Brown, and Kory Brown, Savannah Ellis, Rylee Ellis, and Amir Smith. She also leaves behind a host of loving God-children, nieces, nephews, cousins, and brothers and sisters in Christ.

Josie Lee Bowen has left behind a family that will forever carry her spirit in their actions, their traditions, and most importantly, in the love they share for one another. We honor her not just in memory, but in the way we strive to live our lives and love each other, just as she taught us. Her light will never fade.