John Neville Birch Bowdre

John Neville Birch Bowdre, son of the late Elizabeth Birch Bowdre and Benjamin Taliaferro Bowdre of Memphis, Tennessee, died Tuesday, June 9, 2015 in his home after suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Mr. Bowdre was born on May 3, 1926 in Macon, Georgia, where he and his family have resided ever since. He attended Joseph Clisby grammar school, graduating from Lanier High School for boys in 1944. He served in the Navy from 1944-1946. After attending Duke University as a participant of the Navy V-12 Program, he served in the Pacific. After the war, he attended Mercer University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Mr. Bowdre was President of the Juliette Milling Company, with which his family had been affiliated since 1911. He had a rewarding second career when the mill was sold in 1978 and was active in residential real estate for 21 years. Mr. Bowdre was associated with McNair Realty Company and then with Sheridan, Solomon, and Kernaghan Realtors. He was a member of the Macon Jaycees, the Macon Civic Club, and a member of Idle Hour Golf & Country Club. Mr. Bowdre was a member of Highland Hills Baptist Church, where he was an active member of the Men’s Bible Class.

Mr. Bowdre was a founding member of a small local men’s group named the “R.O.M.E.O’s”, an abbreviation for “Retired Old Men Eating Out”. This close-knit group enjoyed activities and sampling local restaurants together for many years. He enjoyed fishing, reading, travel, good food, and fellowship with friends and family, where his sense of humor was always appreciated. Mr. Bowdre loved the history of the southwest and enjoyed visiting Santa Fe annually for many years.

Mr. Bowdre is survived by his wife of 65 years, Becky Watson Bowdre; daughter, Rebecca Bowdre Winkel and husband, Terry; son, John Neville Birch Bowdre, Jr., and wife Karon; son, Charles Scaife Bowdre; two grandsons, John Neville Birch Bowdre, III (Beau) and wife, Cayla, and Alexander Barrett Bowdre; and brother, Benjamin Talliaferro Bowdre.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00 PM Friday at Highland Hills Baptist Church with private burial being held prior in Riverside Cemetery. Dr. Jake Hall, Dr. James Bruner, and Rev. Cass Ducharme will officiate. The family will greet friends following the service in the Great Room of the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Highland Hills Baptist Church, 1370 Briarcliff Road, Macon 31211, or Friends of the Library Macon-Bibb County, 2720 Riverside Drive, Macon 31210, or the donor’s favorite charity. The family is extremely grateful for the faithful sitters of Home Instead and to the staff of Pine Pointe Hospice.

Visit www.snowsmacon.com to express tributes.

Snow’s Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Services, Cherry Street, has charge of arrangements.