John "Johnny" Adams Bowen

Long time Douglas County resident John A. Bowen passed away on April 2nd in his home surrounded by his loving family. Born on November 23, 1924 to John G. Bowen and Marie K. Zeilinger in Englewood, Colorado. Johnny started his career in farming with his dad and mom on a cattle and dairy farm near County Line Road and present day Lucent Blvd. As a boy Johnny’s job was to herd the cattle along County Line Road up to University Blvd and down to pasture ground where the Southglenn Mall is now situated. It was sixteen years before Johnny was to have a brother, George and nineteen years before his parents presented him with a second brother, Martin. He attended the School of Mines in Golden for one year before returning home to the farm to help his dad with the ever-increasing load of planting, harvesting and raising cattle. Johnny was active in the county farm community and was Grange Master at the Sunflower Grange in Sedalia, Colorado. In June of 1949, Johnny married the love of his life, Katherine Theresa Ehmann at Saint Francis Catholic Church in Castle Rock. By 1954 the Bowen’s ranch had grown to almost 1000 acres. Severe drought in 1953 and 1954 discouraged the Bowens and in 1954 they sold all but 80 acres and purchased a dry land wheat farm near Strasburg, Colorado. In 1962 a trade orchestrated with The Gates Rubber Company for their remaining 80 acres moved them to the Eberhard ranch at the intersection of County Line Road and Santa Fe. An avid pilot of small aircraft, Johnny was often seen landing his Cessna on the dirt runway on the ranch, appropriately called the Fly’n B. Tragic small plane accidents claimed the lives of both his brothers; George in 1965 and Martin in 2007. In 2004, the Fly’n B Ranch was sold to Erickson Communities to be developed into a retirement campus known today as Wind Crest. Pressured by the growing and thriving community of Highland’s Ranch, the last of the old time ranchers along County Line Road succumbed to Littleton’s expansion to the south. Johnny is survived by his wife of 66 years, Katherine and his four children; Daniel (Cheri), Christine Hickman (Jason), David (Richard Raynor), Katherine Bollig (Joseph), 13 grandchildren; Melissa Bowen, Julie Bowen, John Bowen, Jessie Wasinger, Lindy Hickman, Hannah Thom, Zachary Hickman, Nicholas Bollig, Autumn Bollig, Tiana Bollig, Dominic Bollig, Solomon Bollig, Sarah Bagwell, and 8 great-grandchildren; Tristan Bowen, Bailey Bowen, Danielle Sonnenberg, Austin Mack, Jonathan Bagwell, Brooklyn Bagwell, Lauren Bollig, Henley Bollig. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, April 17, 2015, 11:00 a.m. at Parker PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker, CO 80138. A Reception will immediately follow the Service (also at the PACE Center). Contributions can be made to The National Foundation for Cancer Research. Service Information