Laurence Rogers Bowman

February 16, 1920 to December 3, 2011

The greatest generation lost one of its finest when Rogers Bowman, shipped out for duty, in the words of the Marines Hymn, to "guard the streets of Heaven".

Rogers, was born in Grand Junction in 1920, to Laurence and Geneva Bowman and spent most of his childhood roaming freely in the Bookcliffs, the National Monument, Grand Mesa, and the Uncompagre, spawning a lifelong love of exploring, hiking and backpacking. He was the oldest of six children.

Bowman attended GJHS and had the honor of playing football on one of the finest prep football teams in the nation's history. In 1936, Rogers’ junior year, the Grand Junction Tigers won the Colorado State Football Championship with a 13 -0 record. The team was never scored on, rolling up 506 points to their opponents 0. The following season, the 1937 team, added nine more shutout/victories for a total of 22 straight. That is the second longest win/shutout streak in the nation's history for a prep football team. His team lost in the state playoffs that year and the 1938 Class Annual noted regarding the game: “In the closing minutes of the game, little Rogers Bowman led a sustained drive of 70 yards to the Lamar one foot line where they were stopped by the final whistle.” Rogers went on to play freshman football at the University of Colorado, Mesa Junior College and in the Marine Corps.

Bowman volunteered for the Marine Corps prior to Pearl Harbor and served initially as a drill instructor. He volunteered for the newly formed Marine Corps 2nd Raider Battalion, famously known as Carlson's Raiders, and was assigned for training in demolitions, utilizing the skills he learned handling dynamite while building trails for the Forest Service on the Grand Mesa. However, the Marine Corps, facing a shortage of drill instructors, reassigned all that had volunteered for the Raiders back to duty as drill instructors. Later in the war, he served in defense of Midway Island with rank of a Gunnery Sargeant.

Shortly after his discharge from the Marine Corps, he married his high school and college sweetheart, Marilyn Gorsuch, and began work with Chevron at refineries in California, Utah, Colorado and The Philippines. Rogers and Marilyn raised two children, Kay Lynn and Scott. When Chevron opened the American Gilsonite refinery west of Grand Junction in 1957, they were able to transfer and to live and raise their family in their hometown. In 1972, Chevron moved Rogers to the Salt Lake City area where he and Marilyn spent the next 38 years in their lovely home in Bountiful, Utah.

Upon Rogers’ retirement in 1984, he and Marilyn traveled extensively including numerous trips abroad, many times to visit their daughter, Kay Lynn. In retirement, Rogers spent much time backpacking with his two buddies, Ken and Tom, and continued doing so, well into his 80s; with annual excursions into the Wind Rivers of Wyoming, the Grand Canyon, and numerous wilderness trails in southern Utah as well as a trekking adventure in Switzerland. He looked forward each year to driving the sag wagon for his son, Scott, and his friends on multiday mountain bike rides, locating the best campsites, gathering firewood and making sure the beer was iced.

In 2008, he moved Marilyn, the love of his life, back to Grand Junction to be closer to family. He was Marilyn's primary caregiver for the last few years, willing himself to be there for her despite his own battle with cancer. Semper Fi – Always Faithful. Marilyn died in July of this year. Rogers has left us to be with her.

Rogers is survived by his daughter Kay Lynn Dunton, Honolulu, HI; son Scott Bowman, Palisade, CO; granddaughter Katie Bowman; grandson Drew Bowman, and by his brother Bob Bowman and sister Nita Lee. A private Service will be held next summer to scatter Rogers ashes in the mountains he loved so.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Marine Corp Museum, c/o Marine Corps Heritage Foundation; 3800 Fettler Park Drive, Suite 104, Dumfries, VA 22025-2043 Condolences may be left at Martinmortuary.com