Larry James Bowen

Services to honor and celebrate the life of Larry Bowen will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 20, 2023 in the RiverCrest Chapel and Event Center. Family will receive friends for visitation on Friday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. also at RiverCrest. Larry passed from this life on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. He was 77.

Born November 15, 1945, in Evansville, Indiana, Larry was the son of Everett Ray and Bessie Mae (Wilhite) Bowen. One of twelve children, Larry was raised in Newburgh where he attended Newburgh Schools and played basketball and baseball. He would join the United States Army and served active duty during Vietnam. A paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, Larry was a Purple Heart recipient and served his country well before receiving an honorable discharge.

Following his time in the service, Larry would meet Linda Cummings at a Halloween Party. As Linda tells it, "They shared in a dance that did not end..." This couple would enjoy 43 wonderful years of marriage that took them many places including: Kentucky, Indiana, Wyoming, New Mexico, and eventually to Tulsa, Oklahoma where they've resided for the last 16 years.

As a career, Larry would work as a heavy equipment operator and as a coal miner. In his spare time, he enjoyed vegetable gardening and singing - albeit not professionally or always in tune. He absolutely loved music and loved getting his family and friends together to share his passion.

A jokester and a bit stubborn, yet fun loving and passionate helps to describe Larry. He was a loving father and grandfather and adored helping care for his (disabled) son, David.

Larry was preceded in death by: his parents: Everett and Bessie; siblings: Floyd, Elnora, Ray, Pauline, Harold, Bobby, and Myrtle and by a grandson, Quenton James Starkey.

He is survived by: his loving wife, Linda Carol Bowen; his children: Anthony Scott Bowen (Randi), Nicole (Charlie) Johnson, David Alan Bowen and Cindi Rae Starkey and her fiancé, Jim Thalacker; numerous grandchildren including: Jonathan, Peyton, and Alise Starkey; Zachery, James, Alyxis, Jessica, Aries and River Bowen; siblings: Terry (Kelly), Donna, Beverly, and Clarence (Gayle). He is also survived by numerous other family members including nieces and nephews.

 

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