Walter O. Bowman III

Walter O. Bowman III, age 88 of Oakmont, PA passed peacefully to his eternal home with God on Wednesday October 22, 2025. He was the son of the late Maybelle and Walter O. Bowman, Jr. Husband of 33 years to Martha A. Robbins. Preceded in death by his first wife, Joann Pendergrass. Loving father of Christopher N. (Cindy) Bowman. Grandfather of Lexi Bann and Brooke Bowman. Brother of the late Margie Mose. Survived by nephews and nieces, David, John, Richard, Mary, and Judee Palmer.

Walter was born in Atlanta, GA, received his bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science in Business Administration from Robert Morris University, and completed post-graduate work in Engineering Management at University of Pittsburgh.

A true pioneer, educator, and champion of Project Management, Walter dedicated his professional life to advancing the profession and empowering others. With more than 40 years of project management experience, Walter helped place cameras on the moon for NASA, built and modified nuclear power plants, led software development and implementation projects, and delivered educational programs. His dedication, knowledge, and leadership was part of the cornerstone upon which the Project Management Institute's (PMI) certification for a Project Management Professional (PMP) grew. These efforts resulted in the establishment of PMI's PMP Certification as the recognized global gold standard in project management certification. This highly valued PMP certification contributed to the past and current growth in PMI. Walt also served as President of the PMI Educational Foundation of which he was a devoted supporter giving his time, expertise, and resources to strengthen the next generation of leaders. As a founding Member in 1978 of the Pittsburgh PMI Chapter he was a very active member and leader that served the Chapter and PMI in several leadership roles. He served PMI on the Board and led standards development within PMI. Later he participated in the successful efforts of ANSI (American National Standardization) by assisting with standards for the ISO (International Organization for Standardization). In addition, as Co-Founder and Executive Director (Emeritus) of PMCenters USA, a training and consulting group, Walter led efforts in growing and improving project management training in several industries and in partnership with many colleges and universities. Among the many professional recognitions Walter received, he was most pleased to be named a PMI Fellow in 2004 – PMI's prestigious lifetime award presented to an individual who has made sustained and significant contributions to PMI and the project management profession.

Walter loved his family and friends, children, cats, theatre and music. His family always came first in his affections and care and he held his relationships with friends and colleagues deep in his heart. He supported his spouse Martha as bookkeeper and finance manager as she founded and directed Pneuma Institute LLC (now a nonprofit organization) that offers courses, workshops and supervised training in facilitating personal and corporate spiritual growth, development, and leadership. In Walter's younger years, he coached little league baseball and soccer and joined the neighborhood kids' hockey practices. He was stage manager for a number of years at the Globe Theater in San Diego, CA and frequently attended plays. In his retirement, he learned to play his 5 string banjo that he himself built from scratch. He especially liked playing and singing folk, country and bluegrass songs. He was particularly fond of cats as their antics that made him laugh. His sense of humor often helped others laugh and lighten spirits. He cherished being able to have conversations with people whose views were different as long as both parties could agree to disagree and remain in conversation. Faith in God was his strong foundation and he shared it regularly with friends in his local Christian Life Community. He was nourished by participation in the life and ministry of Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh.

A funeral memorial service will be held at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave. Pittsburgh PA 15206 on December 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM followed by a reception and visitation with family, friends and colleagues.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Walter Bowman to:

- Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, 6926 Hamilton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208

- PMI Educational Foundation https://www.pmi.org/pmi-educational-foundation/

- Pneuma Institute, 616 Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 https://pneumainstitutesdl.org/

Services entrusted to the BURKET-TRUBY FUNERAL HOME CREMATION AND ALTERNATIVE SERVICES, INC., Oakmont