Sheila Bowers Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

A funeral service for 95 year old Sheila Bowers of Naples, Florida, will be held at 10:00 A.M. Monday, March 28, 2016, at the First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in Sheila's name to the University of Iowa Foundation, CV Bowers Emphysema Research Fund, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa, 52240-4550. Sheila Alberta Hall Bowers was born on January 1, 1921, in London, England, to Mary Kathleen Higgins and Albert Desjenetais Hall. A twin sister, Dorothy, and brother, Patrick, preceded her. Sheila grew up in bustling London in Highgate neighborhood and was close with her mother and siblings. Youthful memories include references to joys and traumas associated with World War II - from joyfully dancing late into the night with friends to fearing the frequent bombings throughout London, working as a firewatcher, sleeping in the Underground for safety, and getting expelled from school for wearing a Peace Poppy! In 1944, Sheila met Clifford V. Bowers in London where they courted while Cliff served as a paratrooper physician for the U.S. Army. After their marriage in 1947, Sheila moved with Cliff to Sioux City, Iowa, where they raised three children. Sheila and Cliff had a vibrant social life, visiting the Knife and Fork Club, dancing late with friends, and in-house gatherings. The family vacationed summers in Okoboji at the Crescent Beach Resort while the children were small. They bought Lochcroft in Echo Bay in 1965, where both daughters, Barbara and Abby, were married and their son, Bert, spent childhood summers. In 1975, Clifford died of emphysema in Okoboji. Sheila's mother came to Okoboji to support Sheila, Clifford, and their children during this time. Sheila moved permanently to Okoboji after Cliff's death. Sheila lived in Okoboji for four decades. Beginning in the 1980s, Sheila escaped the winters to Florida. But her fondest memories involved her travels around the globe. She often joined a group to travel for six-week excursions in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. She also enjoyed a smaller trip with her two daughters to Ireland and England to reconnect with her family roots. Sheila frequently organized large family trips around her New Years birthday where the grandchildren fostered long lasting relationships. Family gathered each summer in Okoboji to enjoy boating, playing gin rummy, and eating her chocolate pie. Sheila dedicated much of her time to her family and savored moments with her children and grandchildren. Sheila is survived by her three children, Barbara Bowers Mendenhall (Walter), Mary Abby Adams, and Bert Bowers (Ana); six grandchildren Kate Mendenhall (Zach Borus), Hannah Adams Burque (Chris), Emily Mendenhall (Adam Koon), Gerrit Adams, Jamie Bowers, and John Bowers; and five great grandchildren: Elias and Hattie Mendenhall-Borus, Fiona and Zoë Mendenhall Koon, and Cy Burque.

Sheila Bowers

January 1, 1921 - March 25, 2016