Debra Cook Bowden, 69, of South Charleston WV passed into heaven on Sunday June 7, 2020 at CAMC Memorial Hospital. Her passing was peaceful, absent of fear or distress. A lifelong resident of South Charleston, she was known for her strong work ethic, ability to make others laugh, and the kindness she showed to others.
Debby was the 2nd of 3 children born to Edward Paul Cook and Louise Farley Cook on February 4th, 1951 in Princeton WV. When Debby was 2 months old, her mother along her and her older brother left Princeton to join her father in South Charleston who had already begun working in the chemical industry. She grew up in a faithful Christian household that began with very modest resources, which steadily improved throughout her childhood and adolescence.
As Debby’s childhood progressed, she grew into a pretty little girl, and then into a beautiful young lady, but her childhood was not without difficulty. Donnie, her older brother by 14 months, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of 5. This diagnosis was followed a couple years later with the same diagnosis for her younger sister Kathy. Being the only perfectly healthy sibling was difficult for her to understand as a child.
As a family, they lived as if nothing was different about their family, their parents patiently assuring them that everything would be okay whenever the topic was brought up. However, in the 1950s this was often not the case outside the home. Debby viciously defended Donnie from bullies, sometimes with her fists, and she did this without being asked to by her parents, who never actually knew this was even occurring.
Debby graduated from South Charleston High School in 1969. After attending Concord College, she began her 40-Year career in Banking as a bank teller with Chemical Bank, which eventually became Huntington National Bank. Debby earned many promotions, finishing her career as a Vice President for the Trust Department, where she probated numerous estates.
She married the love of her life, Carroll Bowden, a marriage she enjoyed for 45 years. They had 2 sons together, Craig and Scotty, that by anyone’s measure were spoiled by her regularly. Debby finally got the daughter she always wanted when Craig married Beth. Together Beth and Craig gave her 2 beautiful grandsons, Trenton and Dane, whom she adored, and also spoiled regularly.
Debby is now reunited in heaven with her father Edward Paul Cook (2006), her brother Donald P. Cook (2015), and her mother Louise F. Cook (2019).
She is survived by her husband Carroll Bowden, son’s Craig Edward Bowden & Christopher Scott Bowden, daughter-in-law Beth Winkler Bowden, grandchildren Trenton Cash Edward Bowden & Dane Fenner Craig Bowden, sister Kathy Plantz, brother’s-in-law Ron Plantz and Larry Stone, sister-in-law’s Myrna Cook and Becky Bowden, nieces and nephews Andy & Amy Stone, Tim & Evelyn Bowden, Richard & Wendy Young, Todd & Janene Bowden, numerous people in her daughter-in-law Beth’s family, and many, many neighbors and friends.
Her life will be remembered and celebrated with a visitation on Friday June 12th from 5pm to 8 pm. The funeral service will begin at 12 pm on Saturday June 13th. Both will be held at Tyler Mountain Funeral Home located at 5233 Rocky Fork Road, in Cross Lanes WV.
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