Evelyn "Peggy" Bowman Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

On March 9, 2017 Vada Evelyn "Peggy" Shimer Bowman went home to her Lord and Savior. Evelyn was well known in Fairmont, Marion County and environs as "The Stanley Lady." Evelyn was born on August 30, 1919 in Calhoun Co. to the late Sherman Smith Shimer and his wife Mary Catherine "Kate" Hayes. Her older sister, Ethel, named her Vada after a pleasant area in Calhoun Co., but her family called her Evelyn. The youngest of nine children, teenaged Evelyn was nicknamed "Peg," by her older brothers, and it stuck so well that most of her nieces and nephews called her "Aunt Peg" and some never knew her as Evelyn. Evelyn moved to Fairmont around 1935 where she met the handsome, young Fred Bowman at a Hoult United Methodist Church function, and the two married in 1937. The couple lived their entire married life in Hoult and they were well-known and active in the community, working in the church and to improve the area. Evelyn ran her Stanley business out of her home for over fifty years, but she was primarily a mother, homemaker, and volunteer. She led the Hoult 4-H Club and volunteered at Camp Muffly, superintended Sunday School and assisted with vacation Bible School, and volunteered at Fairmont General Hospital For many years. Evelyn worked hard for the Republican Party, arranging poll workers for elections and transporting voters to the poll. She was a life-long fan of President Ronald Reagan. After Fred and her "retirement," Evelyn traveled extensively, visiting all 50 states and more than 33 countries around the world with various members of her family, especially her eldest grand-daughter, in tow. The multiple options for her first name sometimes made renewing her passport difficult, but Evelyn's only complaint about traveling was the lack of American—meaning Maxwell House—coffee. Evelyn was preceded in death by her only daughter, Lois Bowman Heston, by her beloved spouse of 69 years, Fredrick "Fred" J. Bowman, and by her daughter-in-law, Barbara Shaffer Bowman. Survivors include her son, Gerald Bowman and wife Marie, their son, Steve, and wife Cathy and their children, Ryan and Adam; their daughter, Alece Day, and her children, Wilson, Wesley, and Wade; their daughter, Dee Willis, and husband Steve and their children, Titus, Johnna, and Lucas; their daughter, Jennifer Groves, and husband Tim and their son, Philip Clutter. Also surviving Evelyn is her son, Lawrence Bowman, his daughter, Ashley Fultineer, and her sons Blake and Brody; his daughter, Michelle Carpenter, and husband David and their child, Emmalynn Shay; his daughter, Rachel Bowman; and his son, Alan Bowman. Evelyn's eldest grand-daughter Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Heston, daughter of the late Lois and James W. Heston, Jr., also survives her dear Grandma. The family would like to thank Pleasant Acres Christian Haven for their care of Evelyn in the last years of her life. They treated her like their own family and we bless them for it. Friends may call from 5pm to 8pm on Sunday and 10am to 11am on Monday at the Carpenter & Ford Funeral Home, 209 Merchant St. Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 13, 2017 at the funeral home with Rev. Dr. Stephen Willis officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Zion Cemetery.

Evelyn "Peggy" Bowman

August 30, 1919 - March 9, 2017