Dr. John A. Bowman, 64, passed away Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, after a short, but courageous battle of a metastatic melanoma brain tumor. He was surrounded by three of his four children and their mother in Port St. Joe, Fla.
John was born in Oak Ridge, Tenn. July 7, 1949, and raised in Florence, Ala. He graduated from high school at Columbia Military Academy and received his B.S. degree from the University of North Alabama. He went to UAB and earned his D.M.D. and periodontal degrees and spent one year at Huntsville Hospital earning a General Practice Residence Certificate. After school, he served four years in the Air Force as chief of periodontics at Norton Air Force Base, California, and attained the rank of major. After leaving the Air Force, he opened his periodontal practice in Opelika, Ala. Oc. 14, 1985.
John was preceded in death by his parents, John Stennette Bowman and Virgaline McManus Bowman, and great-niece, Jalyn Cornett.
Survivors include his sweetheart of more than six years, Patricia Lindsey, of Auburn, Ala. and Houston, Texas; children, Natalie Bowman (fiancé Mark Lee), of Oregon, Melissa Bowman (husband, Richard Gross), of Panama City, Fla., Stennett Bowman, of Auburn, and Julian Bowman, of Port St. John, Fla., and their mother, Melissa Behee; big sissy, Jane B. Farrell (husband, Steve), of Hixson, Tenn.; nieces and nephew, Michele Newman Muse (Antoinne), of Maryland, Todd Newman (Jill), of Alabama, and Cristin Farrell Cornett (Brandon), of Tennessee; great-nieces, Madison Newman and Mya Cornett; stepgreat-nieces and nephews, Samara Muse, and Holden, Haley, and Daniel Mitchell; and a host of cousins, other family, and friends.
The family would like to pay special thanks to his group of three, Bill, Ted, and Bob and his doctors in Birmingham and Houston (MD Anderson).
John’s wish was to be cremated and have his ashes put in the Tennessee River in Florence and some put at Muscle Shoals Sound, because of his love of music and the many famous and infamous artists that recorded there.
There will be a memorial service for John at Patricia’s home, 627 Wrights Mill Rd, Auburn, AL 36830, at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 1, 2014. Please join his family in remembering John’s short, but well lived life. Dr. Bowman’s arrangements were entrusted to Heritage Funeral Home and condolences may be left at heritagefhllc.com.
