Wava Laurel Bowyer was born September 12, 1917 in Lost Lake, Montana. She passed away October 15, 2018 in Laramie, Wyoming. She was the daughter of Edwin and Mathea Olson. Her siblings include two sisters, Hazel Swanson and Mildred Lewis and a brother, Myron Olson.
Wava married Leslie Bowyer of Canton, South Dakota in 1939. They moved to Denver, Colorado where Leslie worked for Gates Rubber Company for 37 years before he retired. In 1980 they moved to Riverton, Wyoming and moved again to Laramie, Wyoming in 1992. They celebrated their 60th anniversary shortly before his death in February of 1999.
Leslie and Wava had four children; Madeline Telfer (Bill) of Encampment, Wyoming, Leslie Bowyer Jr. (Sally), Richard Bowyer (Sandra) both of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Karen Bowyer of Laramie, Wyoming with whom she has spent her last years.
Wava is survived by her four children, her brother Myron Olson (Bonnie) of Englewood, Colorado, 13 grandchildren, 35 great and 33 great-great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Leslie Bowyer, sisters Mildred Lewis and Hazel Swanson, granddaughter Sonja Bowyer and great granddaughter Rena Moll (Danny).
Perhaps the most important event in her life was in 1931 when the gospel came to Canton, South Dakota where her parents lived. Two Iowa workers, Paul Foster and James Greenfield, and one South Dakota worker, Robert McCorkel, had a tent mission. They held meetings for thirteen weeks, six nights a week. It was toward the end of the mission that she made her choice to serve the Lord. This proved to be an anchor in her life bringing joy and peace, many valuable privileges, and so many precious faithful friends.
She will be interred beside her husband in Denver, Colorado at the Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens on South Colorado Boulevard.
