DeWitt Francis Bowman

DeWitt was the son of Francis and Virginia Bowman, who lived in Los Angeles for the first year or so of his life, but relocated to Wisconsin, where his father’s family had lived since pioneer days. DeWitt and his sister, Virginia, attended Frank Allis and Lakewood Grammar Schools, and DeWitt graduated from Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, IL where he played on the varsity football team. DeWitt went on to attend Princeton University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University, where he was one of the first students to qualify for the new designation of Certified Financial Analyst. Like most Bowman men who studied at Madison, DeWitt was a member of Chi Psi Fraternity.

From 1951 to 1956 DeWitt served in the US Air Force. He trained as a fighter pilot and was among the first to fly the F-86 Sabre that was built to compete with the MiG-15. He received the National Defense Service Medal for his efforts, and gained a love of flying and gliding that he pursued as a hobby for the rest of his life.

In 1953, DeWitt married Julianne Weiss of Madison, with whom he had two children, Mary Ellen and John. His first marriage ended in divorce and, in 1974, he married Mary Jo Doyle of Madison, who brought six children to the marriage: Thomas, Louise, William, Sara, Andrew and Patrick.

When in Madison, DeWitt worked for the First National Bank, an institution founded by his great grandfather with other family members. Over time, he held various positions in the Trust Department and managed the Investment Division. He served on the Vestry of Grace Episcopal Church, the Boards of the Visiting Nurse Service, United Way of Dane County and Madison Civic Music Association. He was also a member of The Madison Club, Maple Bluff Country Club and Rotary International.

Upon moving to San Francisco, DeWitt initially managed the Trust Department of the California Canadian Bank and later served as Chief Investment Officer of the San Francisco Public Employees’ Retirement System. In 1989, DeWitt was appointed Chief Investment Officer of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest public pension fund in the US. In these positions, DeWitt became known as a crusader for shareholder rights and socially responsible investing, and an innovative proponent of corporate governance reform and the use of index funds for pension investing. After retiring from CalPERS in 1994, DeWitt served on the Boards of Pacific Corporate Group, Wilshire Mutual Funds, Forward Funds, Brandes Funds, Sycuan Funds, and RREEFF America. He also served as interim Treasurer of the University of California and as Trustee of the Pacific Gas and Electric Nuclear Facilities Decommissioning Trust. A devout Episcopalian, DeWitt served on the Executive Council of the Episcopal Diocese of California and the Vestry of Saint Stephens Church in Belvedere, CA.

In addition to flying, DeWitt loved to sail. Starting at an early age, he raced boats on Madison’s Lake Mendota and, in time, competed in most every class of sailboat to race there. In California, he raced in San Francisco Bay and cruised the northern California coast well into his eighties. At the time of his death, DeWitt was the oldest member of the San Francisco Yacht Club.

In 1979 DeWitt purchased a parcel of land about 100 miles north of San Francisco at The Sea Ranch, where he and Mary Jo worked with an architect to build their dream home. For more than 40 years, they spent extended weekends and holidays there, with DeWitt cutting the travel time by flying in his own plane.

DeWitt was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, as well as Mary Jo’s daughter Louise. He lost Mary Jo to her own battle with cancer in 2011. In 2023, as his health failed and he found it increasingly difficult to travel to Sea Ranch, DeWitt moved to Corona del Mar, CA, where he spent his final days with his daughter Mary Ellen and his grandson, Nathaniel B. Sindt.

The Family thanks the doctors and staff of Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, CA and suggests making donations to the Hoag Hospital Foundation or American Cancer Society.

A celebration of DeWitt’s life will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 7th at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 3233 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.