Donald E. "Don" Bowman

The following obituary was written by Don and requested it be used with no changes. On , Friday, August 21, 2020, Don Bowman completed his journey. It began in Lebanon at the dark of the moon, 1948, as the son of the late George C. Bowman, Jr. and his wife, Doris (Harbold). The curiosity and love of learning that were an integral part of his character took him across countries, continents, and oceans in pursuit of knowledge and experience. But his most joyful voyage was his marriage of 38 years to his beloved wife, Bonnie, and sharing the pride in seeing their son, Tom, grow into a good and decent man who found his own great love, Jennifer. Don’s family all shared a love of music: he was particularly fond of Classical and Jazz. The study of history was a lifelong passion. He shared with his father and son a generational fascination with cars and motorcycles of all eras. Railroading, baseball, collecting antique canes and vesta cases, classic detective stories—especially the Sherlock Holmes canon— these were just some of Don’s many interests. Not surprisingly, he enjoyed partnering with Bonnie in trivia contests as Team Bearclaws. One of his favorite ways to spend an evening was with friends enjoying good food and drink, good talk, and much laughter. In his time, Don was a linguist, an actor and director, a college instructor and factory worker, a drama critic, car salesman, and nationally recognized advertising writer. Locally, Don may be best remembered as the host of WLBR’s RadioTalk for two decades. Although he had not been on air since high school, Don soon found it the most congenial possible way to make a living—an avowed foe of routine, he delighted in the fact that no two days were ever the same. To the end of his days, Don remained grateful to Lebanon Broadcasting for the opportunity and to the hundreds of guest and thousands of callers who kept things lively and unpredictable. At Don’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. Scattering of his ashes will be private. Should you wish to do something to remember him, Don would ask that you attend a live performance by a local organization. See a play. Hear a concert. Support your local arts communities. Don and his family are all dedicated animal lovers; should you wish to offer a tangible remembrance, a contribution to the Lebanon County Humane Society, Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, or Carolina Loving Hound Rescue would be deeply appreciated. Finally, Don asks that you find a way to be kind as you hope for kindness, tolerate as you desire tolerance, and love as you would be loved.

Donald E. "Don" Bowman

April 10, 1948 - August 21, 2020