Dr. William Edward Mowery

Dr. William Edward Mowery, of Palm Harbor, FL, formerly of Louisville, KY, passed away Saturday, May 23, 2015 at his home. Born in Cairo, Illinois on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1919, he moved to Louisville with his family in 1921. He graduated Cum Laude from Louisville Male High School and from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. He served on active duty in the U. S. Navy from 1943 until 1946, but remained in the Active Reserve until 1973, when he retired with the rank of Captain. In 1946, he entered private practice at Richmond, KY, but later joined the U. S. Veterans Administration and returned to Louisville. He served as the VA Research Associate at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington D. C., as Chief of Central Dental Laboratories in Louisville, Chicago, and Washington D. C., and as Acting Chief of Dental Services in Dayton, OH and Louisville.

As a devoted Christian, he served as a Deacon for over 50 years in churches in Silver Spring, MD; Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, IL; Dayton, OH; and at Deer Park Baptist and Crescent Hill Baptist Churches in Louisville. He also served as Bible teacher, sang in the church choirs, was a leader of “Kiddie” choirs, and held other offices in the various churches. He had been an active member of The Gideons International, serving in various offices of the Louisville Northeast Camp, including their Jail and Prison Ministry. He personally distributed, or assisted in distributing, thousands of Scriptures in schools and many foreign countries.

Dr. Mowery was a Diplomat of the American Board of Prosthodontics, a Charter Fellow and Life Fellow of The American College of Prosthodontics, and a life member of the American Dental Association, the Kentucky Dental Association and the Louisville Dental Society. He had been an Adjunct Professor of Prosthetics at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Loyola University Dental School in Chicago, and the Ohio State University School of Dentistry. He was a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Honorary Dental Society. Following his retirement from the active practice of Dentistry, he attended The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, KY, from which he obtained a Diploma in Church Music in 1979.

Dr. Mowery was preceded in death by his beloved first wife, Nancy Baskett Mowery, and his second wife, Mary Ann Porter Mowery; his parents, Adah Belle Little Mowery and Hugh Lloyd Mowery; and his only sibling, Adah Elizabeth Mowery Kimbel. He is survived by his three children, Marilyn Bryant (David), of Clearwater, FL, James Taylor “Ted” Mowery (Elizabeth), of Knoxville, TN, and Lois Roberts (Larry) of Sykesville, MD; six grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; one great, great-grandchild; three stepchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral service will be at 2 pm on Saturday, June 6 at Crescent Hill Baptist Church, 2800 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206, with interment to follow at Cave Hill. Visitation will be after noon on Saturday at the church.