William E. Bowers

William E. Bowers

January 20, 2021

“A man stays alive while he is remembered. He dies only when there is no one that remembers him.”

William Emmett “Papa” Bowers died peacefully on January 20, 2021 at his home in Copley, Ohio at age 82, surrounded by his family. Bill was born May 2, 1938 in Windber, PA to Lewis and Grace (Langley) Bowers. He was the second youngest of 11 children and is survived by his sisters Lynn Shirley Dean (Rogers) and Emily Lyman (Ken). Bill and his siblings were blessed with 50+ nieces and nephews.

After a long courtship, Bill married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Louise Kenski. The couple wed at Cleveland’s Our Lady of the Lourds church, in 1961. What followed were 59 treasured years together. Bill and Barb went on to raise and nurture three children and six grandchildren: Brian (Madeline Bigadza) Bowers and their son Zakhary, Bradley (Amy Griffith) Bowers and their children Kallen, Bennett and Natalie, and Barbie (Frank Zugaro) and their children Addyson and Hayley.

Bill graduated from Cleveland South High and went on to study at Fenn College, now Cleveland State University. The first in his family to attend college, Bill had a successful career in manufacturing and made a life for Barb and his children that he never imagined he could, having grown up in a large family of coal miners and steel workers. He held several positions early in life that propelled him to the Eaton Corporation and eventually to their axle manufacturing facility in East Cleveland, where he rose through the ranks and earned a senior management position. In 1983, he was recruited by the Kelsey Hayes corporation to manage their brake manufacturing plant in Mt. Vernon, Ohio where he stayed for 12 years. He spent the last years of his career consulting and doing project work for automotive manufacturing companies. In 1995, He and Barb returned to NE Ohio and settled in a home in Copley to be close to their children, grandchildren, extended family, and a host of friends.

Bill was well read and a life longlifelong leaner striving to continue his education by taking online courses on a wide range of topics. In addition, he would frequently have two or three books going simultaneously. He had a penchant for history and the U.S. Constitution, making sure all his children and grandchildren had pocket size copies in the case of an unimaginable constitutional crisis. He enjoyed golf, hikes with Barb, providing unsolicited instruction, Jeopardy, crossword puzzles, gardening, hot wings and beers, guiding his grandchildren through the milestones of life, enjoying their successes (always with tears in his eyes) and he never turned away from a robust debate.

Bill was a warm and caring husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He will be remembered for his sharp mind, quick wit, disciplined approach to most everything, love of country and 5:00pm, when happy hour could promptly begin.

We are hopeful that we can gather this summer to celebrate Bill’s time on earth and to share our memories. In his later years Papa enjoyed volunteering in the national park, clearing and improving trails, therefore, in lieu of flowers, if you would like to honor his memory with a donation, we suggest the Conservancy for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Volunteer Program Fund to be the beneficiary. The address is 1403 W. Hines Hill Road, Peninsula, OH 44264 or go to their website https://www.conservancyforcvnp.org/donate

We are so proud of our mother, Barb for her dedication to provide comfort, love, and levity to a multitude of situations. Papa penned these words, in addition to the opening above, this past November in what we can only assume where in her honor: “The love and kindness that is bestowed on me is out of this world. It is at a time like this that it emerges.” He was incredibly grateful for Barb and so are we.

Services in care of The Billow Funeral Homes and Crematory, Fairlawn, Chapel 85 N. Miller Road  Akron, OH  44333