Jack Bowles
John “Jack” Bowles III, 87, passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 29, at his home, surrounded by family.
His funeral will be at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Bloomington with Rev. Jeffrey Windy officiating. A private family burial will held at Funks Grove Cemetery. To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.
Memorials may be made to Holy Trinity Church, or to the McLean County Historical Society.
Jack was born October 8, 1927, Southside of Chicago, Illinois. He later moved to Highland Park, where he attended school and made life-long friends.
In 1981, Jack married Patsy Henderson Bowles. She survives. Also surviving are 6 daughters, Cindy (Stephen) Shaffer, Mary Beth Lewis, Vicki (Mark) Seyller, Kim Bowles, Nancy Bowles, Tina Buckley Cox, and one son, Tyler (Angie) Buckley. Jack is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren, a brother, Father Bill Bowles, and many cousins, nephews, and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Ann Capen Bowles, his brother Jim, and one granddaughter, Kelsey Seyller.
After graduating high school in Highland Park, Jack enlisted in the US Naval Air Force and was stationed at various naval bases and aboard The USS Menard (APA101). When the war ended, Jack returned home and attended Illinois Wesleyan University and U of I, where he graduated in 1951.
While at Illinois Wesleyan, he met Ann Capen. They married December 1, 1951. Together they had 5 daughters. Ann passed away in 1977 after 26 years of marriage.
Jack met and then married Patsy Henderson on November 18, 1981. With this marriage, Jack welcomed Patsy’s two children, Tyler and Tina, into his family.
Except for his first 3 years of employment with Kaiser Aluminum in Ohio, Jack moved back to Bloomington and joined his father-in-law, Henry Capen, in the Insurance business – embarking on a life-long career.
During his very active lifetime, Jack was involved in many activities including golf, hunting, fishing and camping. He enjoyed these activities with his family and friends for many years. He particularly enjoyed visiting many of the National Parks and was an enthusiastic adventurer. One very memorable experience was a solo two month long driving/camping journey to Alaska and back.
Jack was an Officer and Director of the Chicago District Golf Association and officiated many golf tournaments. Jack was also a course rater for Golf Digest for 25 years, and was a member of Bloomington Country Club and Bob O’ Link Golf Club.
From his many years officiating, he authored a text book on the rules of golf called “The Rules Caddie” to assist coaches when teaching players the rules of golf. Many high school coaches around the country are using it today.
Jack served on many other local boards and was involved in numerous organizations: Victory Hall, The Children’s Foundation, McLean County Historical Society (Emeritus), National City Bank Director, Young Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus, The Pratt Music Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, Illinois State Insurance Association, Member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, and a Risk Manager for his National Fraternity. Jack was also a long-time member of Historic St. Patrick’s Church and Holy Trinity Church.
Jack and his long-time friends also met on Wednesdays for “Lunch Bunch” and on Thursdays at Schooners for “Choir Practice” (which did not include any singing…)
One of Jack’s greatest joys was getting together with family and enjoying quality time with his many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He always cherished those times, and appreciated the great love of his family.
And finally, if you knew Jack, you knew that The Green Bay Packers was his all-time favorite team. He had season tickets to every game and often shared them with family and friends. Now he has the best seat in the house. Go Pack. Go Jack. We love you.
