Nancy Ann Bowman

Nancy Ann Bowman passed away peacefully on July 23rd 2025 in her sleep. Nancy was born in San Diego, CA to Robert (Roby/Bob) Walter Bowman and Betty Ann Bowman (Banks) and grew up in the San Diego neighborhood of Point Loma.

At age 4, Nancy’s life radically changed when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Extensive treatment resulted in significant strokes, resulting in a coma. Doctors did not expect Nancy to survive, however she did. Her subsequent recovery exceeded all expectations despite Nancy coping with partial paralysis and diminished cognitive function. Despite these extraordinary challenges, Nancy thrived and attended Sunshine Elementary in San Diego Public Schools. Nancy ultimately graduated from Clairemont High School in 1974.

Nancy was a very social person, a positive trait inherited from her beloved mother Betty. One byproduct of this was her developing a photographic memory of the name of individuals she met. Nancy rarely complained or had a negative word about anyone or her situation. Even in the last week of her life, she chirped, “I’m just going to be me”. She lived an idyllic childhood in Point Loma, surrounded by animals which she had an overwhelming fondness for her entire life. She enjoyed loving on her family’s many pets, such as a goose named Toulouse and several cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and a canary named Ringo.

While Nancy was young, her family went on many road trips around the southwest and Northern California. Her family belonged to the San Diego Yacht Club and took their boat to Catalina Island during the summer and enjoyed the good life on the water in San Diego for many years. Other trips Nancy enjoyed were to the Colorado River as well as to the East Coast. Another special memorable family holiday, reminisced about for decades, involved driving with her family from Germany, Italy and then to Amsterdam. Another highlight was seeing the Beatles at Balboa Stadium with her cousins.

In 1971 Nancy’s family embarked on yet another new adventure. They bought 32 acres of land in Julian, CA where they built a vacation home. Every weekend was relished up in the woods, enjoying the changing seasons, admiring the views, gardening and of course, delighting in more pets. Besides the usual menagerie of cats and dogs, the most memorable fur babies included a trio of burros hailing from Death Valley— Burrito, Margarita and Fernando. Additionally, the purchase of an old Willys truck for hauling brush was also driven to the desert for picnics and hikes in Borrego Springs. It was a lively and engaging time for Nancy. Many friends and family came to enjoy “the country” to socialize with Nancy and her parents at their property. The activities were endless in this new country life and the family fell head over heels in love with it. As a result, Nancy moved to the cabin full time to Julian in 1984 when her parents retired. Nancy loved the rural life and filled her time with baking, doing extraordinary needlepoint, hosting guests and walking around the property in the woods for many years.

After the passing of her parents, Nancy moved to Bellevue, WA in 2014 to be near her brother Mike and his family. At this time Nancy’s abilities had declined, requiring her care to be shifted to assisted living near Mike. Nancy lived at Emeritus of Bellevue, which became Brookdale, then Sunrise Senior Living of Redmond and then to Sunrise of Issaquah. Recently, Nancy moved to The Cottages of Lynnwood. During her stays at these homes, Nancy made friends wherever she went and staff continually commented on her sunny demeanor and kind hearted humility. Nancy’s legacy is in the loving ways she taught us to live: quietly, kindly, and with an outstretched hand she would always extend to hold yours.

Nancy was preceded in death by her mother Betty Ann Bowman (Banks) and Robert (Roby/Bob) Walter Bowman. Nancy is survived by her Brother Michael (Mike) Bowman and sister-in-law Anne Bowman (Krause) along with nephews Kyle and Conner. No memorial services are planned.