Deon Taggart Fowles

Deon Taggart Fowles was born on December 15, 1929, to Julia Heiner and Eli Joseph Fowles. He was the youngest of 7 children and grew up during the Great Depression on a farm in Burley, Idaho. As a young man, Deon was involved in music, ran track, and had lots of outdoor adventures after the farm work was done. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, singing, and paling around with his good friends.

Deon graduated from Burley High School in 1948, and attended college for a several years in Albion, Idaho. In 1950 he enlisted in the Air Force and was assigned to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. He was trained in aerial photography and was assigned to take photos from a B36 Bomber, which was the biggest aircraft at the time. He had a lifelong love of airplanes and made many wooden models by hand later in life.

While in the Air Force, he met the love of his life - Lenice Lyman - at a Saturday night church dance in Sacramento, CA. They are married August 18, 1953. Deon and Lenice were blessed with 4 wonderful children - Gregory Scott, Juli Anne, Jennifer Lyn, and Eric Deon. He had 16 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

Deon was discharged from the military in 1954, and then studied engineering at Sacramento State University. He had a wonderful career, working for the State of California for many years in Sacramento. He began working for Ductile Iron Pipe Association and moved to Denver 1973. He loved his work and the people he met there, so much so that he kept working and chose to retire at the age of 70.

Church and family were very important to Deon and he was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He created a lot of memories with his children and grandchildren. If you knew Deon, you might have heard him talk about how much he enjoyed camping at Ft. Bragg in California, hiking to Devil’s Head on Memorial Day in Colorado, making homemade ice cream, playing Aggravation, or watching Singing in the Rain. He would laugh hysterically to himself whenever Loony Tunes cartoons came on the tv.

Deon is survived by his wife of 66 years, Lenice Lyman Fowles, and his son Greg Fowles of Eagle, daughter Jennifer Sherwood of Westlake Village, CA, and son Eric Fowles of Louisville, CO, and his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter Juli Perry.