David Earl Bower

David was born on December 4, 1938, in Chattanooga, Tennessee to the late Earl Cecil Bower and the late Martha DeFriese Bower. After graduating from City High School in the class of 1957, he went on to earn his degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1963.

David went on to become a Captain in the U.S. Army where he would serve for several years before taking up a career in Systems Engineering with IBM in Nashville. He spent 36 years at the forefront of early computing technology and helped usher many local businesses into the computing era. Retiring in 2001, he always said one of the highlights of his career was mentoring the younger generation of IBMers, especially the 13 years he got to spend working with his daughter, Emily, at IBM.

David was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and uncle. His family and friends meant everything to him, and he would never turn down an opportunity to socialize with them or lovingly cause a bit of mischief. He loved spending time with his family at the cabin on Center Hill Lake, on beach vacations, or at his children and grandchildren’s ball games and events. He never met a stranger and was always making new friends.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Martha, his sister Allene B. Sorrick, and his nephew Doug Sorrick.

David is survived by his wife of 62 years, Margaret Standefer Bower; daughter Emily (Darryl) Young and son David Mark (Tara) Bower; and grandchildren Jamie (Kathleen) Young, Megan Young, and Brooke Bower (Rylan Willaford, fiancé); as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

There will be a gathering of family and friends at the Hermitage Funeral Home on Saturday, February 3rd, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. He will be cremated, and a private family service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts in his name be made to the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center (https://www.vicc.org/), the Wounded Warrior Project (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/), or a charity of your choice.