Obituary

Dorothy Louise Spence Bowen
(January 17, 2015)

Dorothy Louise Spence Bowen, beloved mother and grandmother, went home to her Heavenly Father January 17, 2015, at the age of 91. She was the youngest child of the late William Karrison and Margaret Kathleen (Dalton) Spence and was the last remaining survivor of the couple's twenty-one children. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Clayton Bernard Bowen and sons, Leroy Bowen and Clayton Bernard, II, as well as sons-in-law, Johnny Tabor and George Lovejoy, grandson Dwayne Bowen, great-granddaughter Janessa Blevins and great-grandsons Bryce Williams and Ryan Venoy. She is survived by sons Clinton Ray (Jean Ellen), Donald, Charley (Janit) and Robert (Diana) and daughters, Mary (Willis) Blevins, Donna Tabor and Nancy Lovejoy. She leaves behind 24 grandchildren, 62 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren with another on the way. When she lost her husband at a very young age, Dorothy managed to raise her children on her own. She was proud of their accomplishments and enjoyed spending time with her growing family. For years, even after her children were grown, weekends meant heading to moms for food and fellowship. She loved to go fishing and camping with her family and she could create a smorgasbord from plants gathered from the woods. She was also skilled in the use of natural remedies. Dorothy was a homemaker her entire life and enjoyed cooking for her large family; she never learned to cook for small groups. She was also creative and spent many hours crocheting and quilting. During World War II, she worked in a factory supporting the war effort. Although she was never a member of an organized church, she loved talking about her Lord and how great He had been to her. What better tribute for a mother than to have her child say, She was a wonderful mom? The family would like to thank the staff at Huntington Health & Rehab for giving such wonderful care to their mom in the last few weeks of her life. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Wallace Funeral Home & Chapel, Barboursville, WV. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at the funeral home by Pastor C T Matthews. Friends may call an hour before the service. Burial will be in Crooks Cemetery, Huntington, WV. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers.