WILLIAM R. BOWDEN

BROOKSVILLE – William R. Bowden died Thursday, July 16, 2009, at his home, just 10 days before his 65th birthday, and after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Born July 26, 1944, in Blue Hill, Bill spent his childhood years in Brooklin, graduating from Brooklin High School in 1962. He studied business at Husson College, Bangor, before entering the U.S. Army in 1965. After four years of active duty, he served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1969 to 1971, and in the Army National Guard from 1975 to 1978. He worked for a time as an oil burner repairman and embarked on a career in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1979, rising to the rank of chief warrant officer before his retirement in 1995. His Coast Guard duty stations included Southwest Harbor, Roosevelt Roads CEIBA, Puerto Rico, Williamsburg, Va., and Governors Island, N.Y. In recent years, Bill – and Serita, prior to her death in 2007 – spent summers at their home in Brooksville and the rest of the year at their winter home in Nokomis, Fla. Bill was a man of diverse talents and interests. An accomplished artist, he created many beautifully detailed pencil drawings that now hang in the homes of family and friends. He was skilled with all kinds of tools, but most particularly in his work with wood. His stunning and true-to-life carvings of birds are prized by all who own them. An avid golfer, Bill continued to enjoy the sport, both as a player and a spectator, even as his illness progressed, and he spent many a wonderful day on the golf course in the company of friends during his final winter in Florida. With his marriage to Serita in 1973, Bill was warmly welcomed and embraced by her brother, Bill; sisters, Sheila and Norma; and other members of the large and loving Babson family. Bill’s strength and compassion as a caregiver became apparent during Serita’s long and ultimately losing battle with cancer. And as Bill’s own illness worsened, similar care and compassion were shown by members of the Babson family and guardian angels, Nancy and Ed Sherman, who stepped in to provide the care and love he needed. He was predeceased by his wife of 34 years, Serita Bowden; his stepson, Benjamin Dodge Adams; his beloved mother and stepfather, Linnie and Winslow Bowden; his father, William Branch; and sister-in-law, Norma Ricker. In addition to brother, Hugh Bowden of Ellsworth; and brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Jane Bowden of Pleasant Ridge Plantation, Bill is survived by brother-in-law, Bill Babson and sister-in-law, Sheila Howard, both of Blue Hill; stepdaughter-in-law, Denise Webster and her husband, Tim and children, Marcus and Jackson, all of Vermont; godson, William Ricker of Blue Hill; goddaughter, Annie LaChappelle of Leeds; niece, Anita Babson-Campbell and husband, Kevin, of Blue Hill; niece, Penny Ricker and husband, Rick Sawyer, of Blue Hill; niece, Kathy Babson and companion, Arin Deramo, of Florida; niece, Alma Mote and sons, Gavin and Eric, of Blue Hill; niece, Lisa Carlson and husband, Steve, of Washington; niece, Marcie Bowden and family, Robin and Lakota Bowen, of Blue Hill; niece, Jamie Redding and husband, Matt, of Milford; niece, Stacey Erickson and husband, Richard, of Stockton Springs; niece, Jenna Bowden of Searsport; best friends, Wayne Bragdon of Ellsworth and Nancy and Ed Sherman of Ontario, Canada, and Florida; and precious puppies, Miette and Jean Ami. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, July 25, at Brooklin Baptist Church. Contributions may be made in Bill’s memory to CancerCare of Maine, Healthcare Charities, P.O. Box 931, Bangor, ME 04402 or Hancock County Home Care and Hospice, P.O. Box 156, Blue Hill, ME 04614. Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 141 South St., Blue Hill. Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.