Maurice Ellsworth Bowes

He was one of three children and was born at home in Greenfield, NH on January 1, 1923, to Louis and Elva (Lowe) Bowes. He attended Greenfield elementary school and graduated from Peterborough High School in 1941. Growing up in the depression, life was hard on the family farm. His parents ran a greenhouse, and Maurice learned the trade at a young age.

Maurice entered into the Army Air Corps (a component of US Army Air Force) at the age of 20. He trained at a USAAF airfield in Louisiana before entering the war as part of the 98th Bombardment Group where he was a flight engineer on the B-24 aircraft. He became a POW in Romania in 1945 while flying his 46th out of 50 combat missions. He was shot down by enemy fire and was the last man out of the aircraft, ensuring his crew all made it out. He was injured as he exited the plane and later received a Purple Heart and commendations for his bravery. Ironically it was their first mission not flying the B-24 Silver Queen (his good luck plane).

After the war, he attended Simmons School of Design in Boston and following graduation, returned to Greenfield to restore and run Windy Hill Florists until selling the business 10 years later.

In 1954, he married Shirley Price and had two sons, Robert and Kenneth.

In 1971, Maurice attended Keene State College in the evenings graduating with an Associate of Science degree all while working as an electrician and florist during the day. He went on to become a professor of electrical engineering at Manchester Technical College where he taught for 11 years before retiring in 1986 at the age of 63.

Maurice and Shirley continued running their own greenhouse after retirement up until Shirley’s passing in 2016.

He and Shirley volunteered for MarlHarris ambulance for many years, with Shirley as an EMT. They were fortunate to travel the world and were active in POW and Veterans organizations. His passion for reading and books led him to a private collection of over 5000 books, going back to the 1800s.

At age 100, he was awarded the Boston Post cane as the oldest resident of Marlborough. He is survived by his son Kenneth Bowes, his grandchildren Sarah Bowes and David Bowes, and his sister Elsie Brenner.

Burial will be private at the convenience of the family.

Memorial donations in Maurice’s memory can be made to Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization that honors veterans by placing wreaths on their graves every December.

Maurice lived a full life and was able to remain in the home that he loved until his passing. The family extends sincere gratitude and thanks to his caregiver and friend Lynn for making this possible.