Vincent Lloyd Bowry Sr.

Vincent was born in Phillipses, St. Kitts, to Edgar Bowry (1910–1987) and Anne Gene (Davis) Bowry (1915–2011). He was the beloved brother of Sarah Bowry (born 1935) and was predeceased by his sister Ena Bowry (1941–1945). As a child, Vincent attended Christ Church in St. Kitts, where his faith took root early in life. He enjoyed soccer, cricket, and helping his parents in their family’s convenience shop, where they served the local community with kindness and care.

Vincent attended St. Kitts Grammar School, the island’s top private school, before beginning his career as a lab chemist at the Central Sugar Factory, one of the largest employers on the island at the time. In the late 1950’s, seeking to further his education, he traveled to London, England, where he attended Willesden Technician College and earned a City and Guilds of London Institute Certificate in Welding and Metallurgy. He graduated at the top of his class, demonstrating the commitment to excellence that would carry through his life’s work.

In 1962, he married his beloved wife Carmen (Guishard) Bowry, with whom he built a life full of love, faith, and family. Together they raised five children — Terrence, Leah, Yvette, Ena, and Vincent Jr. In 1966, Vincent and Carmen moved their young family to Galt, Ontario, where Vincent began his Canadian career with Babcock-Wilcox Canada Ltd. In the late 1960s, the family settled in Preston, and in 1976 they made their permanent home in Hespeler, where Vincent and Carmen became deeply rooted members of the community.

Vincent was the brother of Sarah, with whom he shared a close loving relationship. They shared daily calls, and frequent visits full of joy and laughter.

Vincent was also a proud and devoted grandfather to Leilani, Yasmine, Zak, Alphonso, Antoni, and Norah, and great- granddaughter Magnolia. He delighted in seeing his grandchildren thrive — whether on the soccer field, in hockey rinks, on stage in dance, or lifting their voices in choir. He was a tireless advocate for education and proudly celebrated the achievements of his children and grandchildren, often boasting of their degrees, diplomas, and accomplishments as one of his greatest joys.

Family memories include joyful trips to Niagara Falls and the African Lion Safari, especially when relatives visited from abroad, as well as Christmas Day breakfasts, where Vincent would prepare a feast for the whole family.

Faith was at the heart of Vincent’s life. A devout Christian, he began each day singing, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” He was guided by scripture, especially Proverbs 3:5–6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths,” the promises of Psalm 23 and Psalm 91, and the strength of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He was a faithful member of St. John’s Anglican Church in Cambridge, where he served on the board and founded the St. John’s Anglican Food Bank, which has provided hundreds of pounds of food each month since the late 1980s. He co-founded and served as president of the Cambridge West Indian Association, fostering unity and cultural pride within his community. He also sat on the board of the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank, contributing to critical funding decisions, and, together with Carmen, supported the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Vincent was a lifelong learner, devoted to self-improvement and leadership. He was an avid reader of John Maxwell, Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, and Zig Ziglar, and completed Dale Carnegie courses that enriched his leadership journey. He often quoted, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve,” and reminded others to always live with an “attitude of gratitude.”

Professionally, Vincent built an extraordinary career that spanned more than six decades. He earned advanced certifications from the Welding Institute of Canada, the Canadian Government Standards Board, and the Canadian Society for Non-Destructive Testing, specializing in welding inspection, ultrasonics, radiography, and European standards.

His career began at Stratford Equipment in London, U.K., as a young Fitter/Welder Inspector, before moving to Babcock-Wilcox Canada Ltd. (1966–1974), where he inspected boilers, steam generators, and nuclear components, ensuring the highest levels of safety and quality for critical power projects. From there, Vincent rose to prominence with the M.W. Kellogg Group of Companies (1974–1983), where he became Corporate Chief Inspector. In that role, he supervised inspection teams across North America, Europe, and Japan, and oversaw some of the world’s largest petrochemical, refinery, and LNG projects — spanning Canada, the United States, Australia, Singapore, Algeria, and Malaysia. He was responsible for the Kellogg offices in Toronto, Calgary, and Edmonton. His leadership included preparing inspection plans, guiding pre-inspection meetings, and authoring procedures that shaped international standards of excellence.

In 1983, Vincent founded Bowry & Associates, Inspection and Expediting Services, a company through which he continued to share his expertise worldwide. His work involved inspecting equipment at fabrication facilities, overseeing quality testing, and ensuring that critical materials met the highest standards of safety and reliability. Under Bowry & Associates, his knowledge and integrity brought him into partnership with many of the world’s most respected companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Saudi Aramco, Husky Oil, ConocoPhillips, PDVSA, KBR, Fluor and Technip.

Vincent was admired for his integrity, fairness, and mentorship — qualities that defined his career and left a lasting impression on colleagues across the globe. Beyond his professional life, he carried a deep love for music, dancing, football, British comedies, cooking, and professional wrestling, joys that brought him laughter and connection with family and friends throughout the years.

The Bowry Family will receive friends at the Barthel Funeral Home, 566 Queenston Road, Cambridge, on Friday, October 17th from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Vince's funeral service will take place Saturday, October 18th, 2025 at 11:00 AM at St. John's Anglican Church, 567 Queenston Road. Interment will follow at New Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Vincent's memory may be made to Cambridge Food Bank. Hotel Arrangements - Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre, 700 Hespeler Road, Cambridge, Ontario N3H 5L8 PHONE: 519.624.7751 (DIRECT) 519.622.1505 (RESERVATIONS) [email protected]

Vincent will be remembered as a man of unwavering faith, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and a respected professional who lived a life of service, gratitude, and integrity. His life was a testament to hard work, faith, and the guiding words of Psalm 23: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”