DR. LAURA Wells BOWERS

Dr. Laura Wells Bowers passed away on May 20, 2024, at her home in San Antonio, Texas after a long battle with cancer. She lived a life of challenges, but also one of hope, courage, love, and joy. She was a beacon of strength to all who knew her.

Laura was born in San Antonio on July 26, 1978. She graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 1996 and obtained a B.A. in psychology from Swarthmore College in 2000. She became a Registered Dietician and later earned a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin.

Life threw a challenge at Laura in 2014 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She did not let this slow her down. Laura completed her dissertation and did her defense while undergoing chemotherapy. She did postdoctoral work at the University of North Carolina and then became an Assistant Professor of Nutrition at Purdue University. She retired from academia in 2021 and moved back to San Antonio to be closer to her family.

She spent her last few years caring for her mother and working as a Breast Cancer Patient Advocate. In this role, she worked to promote funding for breast cancer research, educate patients and the public about the disease, and advocate for legislation to ensure that all breast cancer patients have access to quality care.

Laura married the love of her life, Mike Bowers, on October 14, 2006, in San Antonio. They had more than twenty years together full of love, adventure, and happiness. Mike followed Laura as life took her from Austin to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, then to West Lafayette, Indiana, and finally back to San Antonio.

She was an avid runner for many years. She was on the Alamo Heights High School cross-country team that went to two state championships. As an adult, she participated in races like the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio 1/2 Marathon and the LiveStrong Austin Marathon. She qualified for the 2014 Boston Marathon, but her cancer diagnosis prevented her from participating.

Laura is survived by her husband Michael Bowers, her father Cone Joseph Wells, and her mother Ann Denton Wells, all of San Antonio; her brother and sister-in-law David and Meghan Wells of Austin; her beloved dachshunds Charlie, Zoey, and Oakley; and countless friends, family, and colleagues. She is preceded in death by her grandparents Ernest and Evelyn Wells and Lloyd and Bernice Denton, her stepmother Margie Wells, and her dachshunds Molly, Mya, and Toby.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. at the Culinary Garden of the San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Central Texas Dachshund Rescue and/or the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation.