Thomas Clive Bowater

Thomas Clive Bowater, 81, passed peacefully on January 27, 2023 with his family by his side. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 40 years Deborah M. Bowater.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island he was the son of the late H. Clive Bowater and Alice (Thomas) Bowater.

He worked as a Quality Assurance Technician for Taco Comfort Solutions. Never once in more than 30 years did he fail to wake at 4am in preparation for his commute to their Fall River manufacturing plant.

Thomas was always immensely proud of his U.S. Coast Guard service during the Vietnam War where he served on the U.S.C.G. High Endurance Cutter Barataria. He particularly enjoyed regaling his grandson with stories of his ship and his time at sea.

Thomas was an avid cyclist and one of the original members of the Rhode Island-based cycling club, the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen. He spent many happy hours cycling on his beloved Bottecchia bicycle. He spent countless more hours riding with his wife Debbie together on their tandem bicycle. They attended numerous cycling events, including multiple "century" rides and traveling to "tandem rallies" to ride with like-minded enthusiasts. His favorite event was TOSRV, the Tour of Rural Southern Vermont – a ride of more than 200 miles across several Vermont mountain passes and completed in only two days. Through his example, he and Debbie passed on a lifelong love of cycling to both their children.

Thomas also loved camping in Vermont. Over the years, he spent many happy vacations there with his good friends the Vernavas, his children, and eventually his grandchildren. He enjoyed canoeing on the Battenkill River or just watching his family float down on inner tubes while his golden retriever played on the riverbank.

He would never be found too far from one of his goldens ¬– often throwing tennis balls off the dock, providing belly rubs, and sharing one cookie too many.

Thomas is survived by his son Thomas K. Bowater of Easton, MA; Aimee C. Bowater of Greenville, RI; and his two grandchildren Thomas R. Bowater and Kaylee R. Bowater also of Greenville, RI.

His funeral service will be held Thursday at 11:30am in the Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home, Rt 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville. Visitation will be from 9:30-11:30am. Burial with Military Honors will be in RI Veteran's Cemetery, Exeter. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org).