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Eugene "Gene" Bradford Bower passed away peacefully on July 21, 2010, at the Parkersburg Care and Rehab Center on Gihon Road.
Gene was born on Sept. 24, 1928, in Brooksville, Calhoun County, W.Va. He was the youngest of seven children to the late Rome and Edna Williams Bower.
He attended Calhoun County schools and at age 17 joined the U.S. Navy aboard the Franklin D. Roosevelt. He turned 18 years old in Casablanca.
He went to work at Smith Packing Co. in 1948 and later worked for Cloverdale Packing Co., Local Laborer's Union in WV, and at Hercules and Weyerhouser in Georgia. In his earlier years he enjoyed fox hunting, horseback riding, and raising homing pigeons.
He married his wife of almost 62 years, Betty Lou Smith Bower, on Nov. 14, 1948. They lived on Lost Pavement Road and raised four children, Drusilla (Roger) Exline of Washington, W.Va., Anne (Rich) McFee of Mineral Wells, W.Va., and Bobby Bower and Julie (Jeffrey) Duschl, all of Covington, Ga.
He is also survived by his grandchildren, Lara Rush of Vienna, W.Va., Diann (Roy) Simmons of Abu Dhabi, Janice (Mark) Dukes, Danelle Bower and Olivia Ward, all of Georgia, Richie (Mary) McFee and Cheri (Joe) Sheets of Ohio, and Tyler Duschl of Pennsylvania; his great-grandchildren, Raney and Lacey Exline of Parkersburg, Sarah Rush of Vienna, Rylee Kate, Jackson Nelms, and Brady Bower McElroy of Covington, Ga., Jacob and Lucas (Austyn) Dukes of Georgia, Cheyenne and Dakota McFee of Ohio, and Drew and Tyler Palmer of Cross Lanes, W.Va.; and one sister, Virginia Boreman and her family of Wooster, Ohio.
In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his brothers, Harlan, Hayward, Oral and Woodrow Bower; and one sister, Edith Barker.
Our husband, dad, and papaw Bower made life fun for all of us and his love will continue to grow as he passed on his kind-heartedness and his generous and giving ways. The family wishes to thank the amazing caregivers and employees at "SunBridge" for their wonderful care of "Eugene". They will forever be family.
Funeral services were held Saturday, July 24 at the Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home, 2333 Pike St., south Parkersburg, with Rev. Loyd Winans officiating. Interment followed at Evergreen South Cemetery with full military rites conducted by American Legion Post 15 of Parkersburg.
A guestbook is available for sharing online condolences at www.lamberttatman.com
Donations may be made to the Beechwood Presbyterian Church Sanctuary House, 703 30th St., Parkersburg, W.Va.
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