Antoinette Bowyer

Antonietta Tedesco Bowyer (Toni) was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey. She was very proud of her Italian heritage. Both her parents, Angelina Cirillo and Antonio Tedesco, came to Ellis Island from Naples. She had six siblings, one surviving and living in NJ: Christine Tedesco. She died on Friday, March 31st, 2017.

In 1954 Toni married Elliott B. Bowyer. As a military wife, she made homes in various places for her husband and five children. She enjoyed being a secretary on Air Force bases. She loved to sew, knit, cook and garden and had a great love for all music. Toni loved to write poetry and wrote her memoirs “Life in the Slow Lane”. Settling in Mint Hill in 1978, Toni worked for CMS in the Associate Superintendents’ office. She became a widow in 2002.

Toni loved visiting her children and grandchildren on St. John and in Colorado, her family in New Jersey and her relatives in Italy. Loving children, she not only spent lots of time with her grandchildren, but she volunteered in their schools and was a Faith Formation teacher, for which she received the SALT award at St. Luke Catholic Church. She was stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2014.

Toni is survived by her five children: Robert Elliott Bowyer, Christine Meyer, Patricia Ann Bowyer, Angela Maria Blythe, Jill Bowyer; her sons-in-law: Richard Meyer, Michael Smith, Mark Blythe, Michael Bowers; her grandchildren and their spouses: Chelsea Antoinette and Richard Baranowski, Kasey Joy Meyer and Jason Simpson, Megan Rose Bowyer, Rachel Marie Bowyer, Alex Elliott Blythe, Taylor Anna Blythe, Jacob Elliott Bowers; great grandchildren: Atherton Danger and Mako James Baranowski; Lilian, Ryker Jay, and Carson Simpson and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Toni loved so many people. Our family would like to thank the friends, extended family members, the staff at the ALS Clinic, the Joe Martin Foundation, Hospice & Palliative Care of Charlotte, Home Instead – everyone- who helped make Toni’s life fun and meaningful and who were faithful and caring, thus helping us cope with the sadness of watching our mom decline.

Donations in her honor may be made to: St Luke Catholic Church Mint Hill http://www.stlukechurch.net/ ALS Association "Catfish" Hunter NC Chapter http://webnc.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=NC_homepage or Joe Martin ALS Foundation https://joemartinalsfoundation.org/

Family Visitation will be held from 4:00 -7:00 on Sunday, April 2nd at McEwen Funeral Home, Mint Hill

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 on Monday, April 3rd at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church, Mint Hill with Repass following the service

Toni admired and revered Mother Theresa who said: “Peace begins with a Smile”