Beryl "Billie" Audrey Bowlin

Beryl “Billie” Audrey (Carter) Bowlin, 95, died February 19, 2026 in Parker, Colorado. She was born August 1, 1930 in Rock Lake, ND the second of ten children born to Roy Lee Carter and Edna Margarethe (Vie) Carter. Beryl was active in the Lutheran Church in Loveland where she was baptized and confirmed in 1948.

Beryl’s family moved quite often to various small towns in Northeastern North Dakota when she was a youngster. It was just after the Great Depression and her father struggled to find consistent work. When she was in high school the family moved to Minnesota and then later to Loveland, Colorado where she spent her senior year and graduated from Loveland High School in 1948. Education was important to her. She was a good student who consistently got good grades, even with all the school changes she encountered.

In January 1949, Beryl moved to Denver to attend Parks School of Business where she studied for a secretarial degree. After Parks, she went to work at a Real Estate & Insurance firm in downtown Denver. It was during her time at Parks that she acquired the nickname of “Billie” from a classmate who said she reminded him of a girl he knew with that name. From then forward, most of her friends knew her as Billie.

During the summer before graduating from Parks, she met Robert (Bob) Lee Bowlin, her husband of nearly 57 years, on a school picnic. While Bob was not a student at Parks, he was invited by a friend of Beryl’s to drive them to the picnic, since he was one of the few kids that owned a car. They dated over six months or so when Bob received his draft notice to be inducted into the army. He entered into the service in early 1951 and was stationed at Ft. Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. In May of that year, Beryl traveled by train to Columbia where she and Bob were married. After Bob’s tour of duty in Germany during the Korean Conflict, they settled down in Jefferson County, Colorado, in what is now the City of Lakewood.

Beryl was a stay-at-home mom from the early 1950s until the early 1970s, and stayed busy raising her four children. Family was very important to her. She was deeply committed to her husband and children. She also cared for her broader network of relatives, staying in touch with them, keeping birth and wedding announcements, pictures, Christmas cards and other information and compiling them into numerous books to document her family’s history.

She was active in her children’s schools. She joined the PTA, serving in many offices, including president. In the late 1960s she joined a bowling league with other PTA moms. That led to a passion for bowling and participation in numerous tournaments and multiple awards over the next 25 years. She was involved in her children’s baseball and softball ambitions with Mountair Little League, where she served on the board, managed concessions and even coached her daughter’s softball team.

As her children became more independent in the 1970s, she took on various part time jobs, working for Weight Watchers as a coach, Safeway, as state director of their Consumer Party Program, and then finally as a bookkeeper for a manufacturer’s representative. She was always involved in the community, serving on the board of their HOA for many years. She was a dedicated worker, often placed in leadership positions in the organizations she served. She even ran for city council in Lakewood after the city was established. She is listed in Who’s Who in America, published in 1976. She loved Hawaii and took a number of trips there with friends and family in the 1980s. She was also a big Neil Diamond fan.

Beryl was an active member in the Red Hats and TOPS organizations, and the Order of the Amaranth Friendship Court 7 of the Golden Masonic Lodge. She and Robert were also members of the Lakewood Elks Lodge 1777, VFW Post 4171 and American Legion Post 17.

Beryl developed macular degeneration in 2005 requiring her to give up driving. In addition to her diminished eyesight, Beryl later developed dementia requiring her to move to an assisted living facility where she was a beloved resident for more than four years until her passing.

Beryl is survived by four children: David (Sandra) Bowlin of Surprise, AZ, Gregory (Rebecca) Bowlin of Aurora, CO, Richard (Helen) Bowlin of Greenville, MO and Diane (Matthew) Broshar of Marshalltown, IA; nine grandchildren; twelve great grandchildren; a sister, Marilyn (David) Tice of Denver, CO and one brother Michael (Bernie) Carter; of Lino Lakes, MN.; and several nieces and nephews.

Beryl was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, three sisters, one daughter, Laura Leigh Bowlin, and her husband, Robert.

A Memorial Service will be held on March 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM at Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services – Runyan-Stevenson, 6425 West Alameda Ave., Lakewood, CO 80226.

Beryl will be interred next to Robert at Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge, Colorado on March 20, 2026 at 11:30 AM. Followed by a reception at Olinger Crown Hill Reception Pavilion.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers that memorial donations be given in memory of Beryl to Children’s Hospital Colorado.