BROOKSVILLE and NOKOMIS, Fla. – Serita B. Bowden, 70, died Sept. 12, 2007, at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. She was born Feb. 26, 1937, in Blue Hill, the daughter of Alice Gertrude Gross and William Charles Babson. Serita moved to Brooksville in 1946, five years after the death of her father, when her mother married Dwight Hawes. She became a part of life on the farm, which brought her great pleasure. She attended Brooksville schools and George Stevens Academy. In 1956, Serita married Ben Adams and they had two children. Serita ran the Adam’s Apple, a clothing store in Ellsworth; managed the Seagull Restaurant, Blue Hill; did office work at Grant’s Department Store; was comptroller at the Ellsworth American; and did the bookkeeping at Rowantrees Pottery. She married William “Bill” Bowden in 1973. While he served in the Coast Guard, they lived in Puerto Rico, Virginia, New Jersey and Staten Island. After Bill retired in 1996, they moved back to Brooksville to the home they built on her property, fondly known as “The Point.” Serita fully appreciated the beauty found in nature, by closely observing and beautifully documenting all that she saw. She lovingly tended her own gardens and the ones at Rowantrees. She stayed close to her family, working with her sisters at the Pottery. She loved to walk the beach with brother, Bill. She enjoyed playing golf, especially when she and her husband wintered in Florida. Serita was a member of the Red Hats Society. Serita is survived by her husband of 34 years, William “Bill” Bowden; a daughter-in-law, Denise Webster and husband, Tim, and their children, Marcus and Jackson, of Jeffersonville, Vt.; a lifelong friend, Wayne Bragdon of Ellsworth; sister, Sheila Varnum of Blue Hill; brother, Bill Babson of Blue Hill; godson, William Ricker of Blue Hill; several loving nieces and their families; and her precious puppies, Miette and Jean-Ami. She was predeceased by an infant daughter, Lisa Anne Adams; a son, Benjamin Dodge Adams Jr.; and a sister, Norma Babson Ricker. She embraced others with her love and encouragement and brought them into her family. She will be greatly missed. Friends are invited to call 4-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at Jordan-Fernald, 141 South St., Blue Hill. Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at West Brooksville Congregational Church. Those who desire may make contributions in Serita’s memory to the Ronald McDonald House, 645 State St., Bangor, ME 04679 or Hospice of Hancock County, 14 McKenzie Ave., Ellsworth, ME 04605. Condolences online may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com
SERITA B. BOWDEN
