On the morning of January 2, 2019, Gloria Elizabeth Bowman, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, unexpectedly passed from this life to her eternal reward. Gloria spent the preceding twenty-four hours of her sojourn at the University of Maryland Charles Regional Hospital in LaPlata, Maryland. In God’s great mercy, He allowed Gloria during that time to receive the apostolic pardon through the gift of the Catholic priesthood and allowed her devoted husband of 66 years and family to say goodbye and keep vigil at her bedside. Gloria, endearingly called “Punkie-Bow” among other heartfelt names, left this world at 86 years of age.
Gloria was the youngest of three children and only daughter of American immigrant parents, Mary Verda and Russell Elwood Hand, born at 15 Fabian Place in Newark, New Jersey on December 22, 1932. Gloria grew up with her two brothers: Russell Hand of Gaithersburg, Maryland and Robert Hand of Linden, New Jersey. Gloria attended school at Madison, Madison Junior and Weequahic High School in Irvington. Before completing school, she began working as a policy assembler at Aenta Life & Casualty Insurance Company and later as a telephone operator for the Bell Telephone Company.
A blonde hair, green-eyed romantic, full of life, and laughter, Gloria loved to go to dances with her girlfriends. As orchestrated through divine providence, she caught the eye of Richard James Bowman at the Ivanhoe dance hall in Irvington, New Jersey while on leave from the Navy. After only a two week courtship, Richard asked Gloria to marry him before returning from leave. Upon this hearing, she exclaimed, “You don’t even know me!” “Marry me and I’ll show you the world. We will have a life time to get to know one another,” Richard extolled. Gloria simply could not resist this heartfelt encounter. An exchange of love letters spanning a year proceeded their nuptial vows at Blessed Sacrament Church in Newark, New Jersey on November 8, 1952. Gloria and Richard did in fact travel the world and lived in a number of places including Fallon, Nevada, Charleston, South Carolina, Yokohama, Japan, and Leonardtown, Maryland before settling in Waldorf, Maryland. Together they had four children: Suzanne, Christopher, Claudia, and Richard.
Gloria was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, and daughters Suzanne Maria Bowman of Waldorf, Maryland and Claudia Elizabeth Hodge of Savannah, Georgia. Gloria Bowman is survived by her husband Richard James Bowman, Sr., sons Christopher James Bowman and Richard James Bowman, Jr., daughter-in-law Christine Marie Bowman, grandsons Jerry Allan Hodge, II and Jack Alexander Bowman, granddaughters Lydia Christine Bowman and Sarah Emily Bowman, and great granddaughters Rachel Jade Hodge and Claudia Grace Hodge.
Gloria Bowman was a long time parishioner at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Waldorf, Maryland. Her visitation was held at St. Peter’s on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 9:00 am, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 am and burial at 11:00 am. She will be sorely missed!
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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