Mr. Fowler was born in Columbus on August 25, 1937, to Mr. William Hilburn Fowler and Lillian Self Fowler. He was a lifelong resident of Columbus.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce Land Fowler, to whom he was married for 57 years, and his children and grandchildren, Jennifer Fowler and Hattie and Faye Fowler of Basel, Switzerland, and Wade Fowler (Polly) and Sally and Louise Fowler of Columbus. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Dr. William B. Fowler (Jane), of Asheville, NC, his infant son, Robert Land Fowler, and his beloved dog, Willie Lee Seminole. He was committed to his family, caring for his parents in their declining years, and to the safety and security of his children and grandchildren, of whom he was especially proud.
Mr. Fowler was a graduate of Columbus High School and Auburn University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, Alabama Beta Chapter. Following graduation from Auburn, he became a licensed real estate salesman with the Jordan Company. Eventually he decided to go into business on his own and was involved in multiple endeavors. He was the developer and owner of the Beverage Vault, an alcohol beverage retail shop, for several years, and owner and operator of Colony Cleaners, Inc., until retirement. He served in the Georgia National Guard and Guard Reserve for six years.
As a young man, Mr. Fowler was a pilot, soloing on his sixteenth birthday, the youngest licensed pilot in Georgia at that time. As an adult, he was an avid saltwater and freshwater fisherman and a duck and deer hunter. He kept the family freezer full of fish and wild game. He had a variety of other interests: he was a talented gardener, a beekeeping enthusiast who kept his own hives for many years, and an amateur photographer. Starting when he was in college and lasting until his health interfered, many weekends were spent at the home he built on the Alabama side of the backwaters – boating, entertaining, and enjoying his family and friends. He has passed along many of these interests and passions to his children, along with core values and traits he exemplified throughout his life: a strong work ethic, a sense of responsibility for other people, an independent spirit, and an irreverent sense of humor.
He was a member of St Luke Church. He was a member of Ducks Unlimited, the NRA, the Columbus Museum, the Columbus Botanical Garden, and the Chattahoochee River Club.
Funeral services will be held at Striffler-Hamby Funeral Home on July 25, 2025, at 11:00 AM with Reverend Thad Haygood officiating. Visitation will take place at Striffler-Hamby before the funeral at 10:00 AM.
The family would like to thank the staff and medical professionals at Ridgecrest Rehab and Skilled Nursing Center and Columbus Hospice for their care and support. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Luke Church, Trees Columbus, or Columbus Hospice.
