William (Bill) Bowen, 89, of Waco, Texas, went to be with the Lord, Monday, December 30, 2024. A man of deep faith and dedication, he lived a life of service and love for God, his family and friends. Bill touched countless lives through his life and truly loved the people around him.
Memorial Visitation: January 10, 2025, from 5:00-7:00 pm at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco, Texas.
Memorial Services: January 11, 2025, at 1:00 pm at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco, Texas.
Bill was born to Reeves and Sarah Bowen in Manchester, Georgia, July 2, 1935. He graduated high school from Berry School near Rome, Georgia, and went on to study and play basketball on scholarship for Young Harris Junior College and Western Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and was nicknamed the “terror of the hardwood” during his successful basketball career. He never lost his love of sports and played tennis into his 80s.
After graduating from Western Carolina, Bill spent the next two years serving his country in the U.S. Army, including 18 months in Germany. When he returned from the military in 1959, he returned home to Georgia and began teaching History and coaching at the high school in Woodbury. During those teaching years, he met his wife Doris Hardy and “rescued her from Third Street” as he liked to joke.
Bill eventually was recruited to leave school teaching for the life insurance industry, working as a salesman, a training director, and ultimately the VP of Marketing for American Amicable Life Insurance Company in Waco, Texas. After leaving the insurance business, he worked as an administrator for a medical facility in Waco and retired in 1999.
Even though he stopped teaching school, he never lost his passion for teaching and was a dedicated Sunday school teacher for over 60 years, sharing with many who remained dear to him throughout his life, especially from the college department and young married classes at First United Methodist Church in Waco, and his beloved G.I.F.T. class at First Baptist Woodway where he was an active member.
Bill constantly sought out opportunities to encourage – calls, texts, greeting cards – and had a long prayer list. If you knew him well, you probably had a nickname or a story he enjoyed teasing you about.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Reeves and Sarah Bowen. He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Doris (Hardy) Bowen of Waco, Texas; his two daughters, Leigh Ann Alford and husband Craig of Bedford, Texas, and Billie Korsunskiy and husband, Dmitry of Midland, Texas; and his cherished grandchildren, Hailey Alford and Jacob Alford, both of Dallas, Texas.
In remembrance of Bill, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to The Gideons International (www.gideons.org) or the G.I.F.T. class at First Baptist Woodway.
The family invites you to leave a message or a special memory of Bill on his “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.
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