Kenneth G. Bowman

Ken was the beloved husband of Patricia (nee' Tubbesing) Bowman; loving parental unit of Leah (Billy) Fauller and Nathan Bowman; devoted grandpa of Stephen Bowman, Jake Fauller, Reese Fauller, Conrad Bowman, Charlotte Fauller, and Kit Fauller; dear brother-in-law of Richard (Monica) Tubbesing; dear uncle, and friend and colleague to many.

Ken was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 1, 1944, where he spent his formative years under the care of his beloved mother and grandmother. After the passing of his mother when he was only 10 years old, Ken moved to live with his uncle in Oklahoma City for the remainder of his adolescence. After graduating from Putnam City High School and a stint in the army, Ken returned to St. Louis where he met his future wife, Patricia, in 1973. Instantly smitten, Ken worked diligently to gain Patricia’s affection, and after much determined persistence, he eventually won her over. The couple married on August 24, 1980, and a year later, they moved from University City to Webster Groves to start their family.

Ken had a long and varied professional career. He joined the United States Army in 1964 and was later stationed in Stuttgart, Germany where he served in counterintelligence, though he admitted that enemy intelligence was never too hard to counter. From there, he worked for Valley Barge Line and Frisco Railway in their control systems, ensuring freight was delivered accurately and punctually. However, Ken was an academic at heart, and his love of learning and education lead him to his true calling as a professor of sociology and criminology for Harris-Stowe State University, a position he held for 39 years. In 2007, Ken returned to his railway roots by joining the train engineers of the St. Louis Zoo. Ken spent 9 years guiding sightseers on animal adventures (his likeness was even used for the Emerson Zooline Railroad 50th Anniversary logo).

Ken often gave back to his community. His love for the outdoors led him to join the Boy Scouts of America as a teenager in Oklahoma where he rose to the rank of Eagle Scout. In his later years, he served Boy Scout Troop 303, accompanying the troop on numerous camps, hikes, and trips, imparting his vast knowledge of survival skills to captive audiences. When not in the woods, Ken would volunteer for Fair Saint Louis fulfilling various posts and positions from water attendant to carnival game operator, all out of a love for his home city (and the complimentary lapel pins). In his later years, Ken volunteered for the St. Louis Scottish Games, a festival for all things Scotland, to honor his ancestral clan, Farquharson. He was often seen leaving his home full-clad in tartan kilt, much to his wife’s chagrin.

Ken was a jack-of-all-trades and master of many, and consequently, his hobbies and interests were vast and varied. As a young man, he became intrigued by the rise of robotics and rocketry and filled his home with disparate technology, including but not limited to Apple IIE computers, robotic arms, model rockets, programmable robot turtles, and a prototypical Roomba with an uncanny resemblance to Rosie from the Jetsons. Not content keeping his devices to himself, Ken would give free seminars and lectures at libraries and schools around St. Louis, and after enduring Ken’s long tangents on technology, children could interact with and operate the robots. Ken was a sporting man, and he served as a pitcher for a local softball team, The Gargoyles. However, his penchant for argument soon led him to become an umpire where he would defend every ball, strike, and out with zealous, full-throated certainty. Ken was also an avid collector, amassing hoards of stamps, lapel pins, belt buckles, patches, walking stick medallions, neckties, coins, Star Wars action figures, and while his son was young, Pokemon cards.

While Ken was first and foremost a thinker, often engaging in discourse about sociology, politics, history, philosophy, and the like, he was unafraid to work with his hands. Using a single, well-used DIY book, he taught himself to be a plumber, electrician, mason, mechanic, and carpenter and used his skills to single-handedly remodel his kitchen and attic as well as build the brick and wrought iron fence that would surround his home, a multi-level deck, as well as a rabbit hutch and playhouse (complete with shingles, siding, glass windows, and a front porch swing) for his daughter. In 1992, Ken constructed voting booths for Avery Elementary School so the children could participate in a mock election. Ken enjoyed traveling, often spending his summers in Florida or packing his family up in his van for long road trips across the Midwest (Ken would proudly tell you that he has never received a traffic violation in his life, though his wife cannot claim the same). Ken often dreamt of dragging his wife to Scotland with him.

A visitation will be held Tuesday, January 11 from 4-7 pm at Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary, 6464 Chippewa Street 63109. The Funeral Service will be on Wednesday, January 12 at 11 am at the Funeral Home. Interment with Full Military Honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery will follow.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ken's memory to the Parkinson's Foundation or Service International would be greatly appreciated by his family.

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