- Date Of Birth: September 8, 1933
- Date Of Death: February 14, 2011
- State: Indiana
Barbara Alice “Barb” Bowers, 77, passed away from a sudden illness at 1:31 a.m. Monday (Feb. 14, 2011) at Elkhart General Hospital with her husband, Jim, and her children at her side.
She was born in LaPorte on Sept. 8, 1933, to Kenneth and Alice B. Jacobson, and later married James H. “Jim” Bowers on May 29, 1956, in Elkhart. He survives at home.
Also surviving are two sons, James K. “Jim” (Dianne) Bowers of Elkhart and Robert H. “Bob” (David Feyesh) Bowers of South Bend; a daughter, Alice M. (Randy) Dutton of Elkhart; a sister, Genieve (Dr. James) LaPolla of Warren, Ohio; three grandchildren, Chris M. (Kristin) Dutton and Matthew R. (LeAnn) Dutton, both of Goshen, and Madison C. Bowers of Elkhart; and two great-grandchildren, Cole M. Dutton of Goshen and Kaelyn M. Dutton, who is expected to arrive in April. Additionally, Barb’s beloved cockapoo, Curley, survives to cherish her memory, too.
Preceding her in death were her parents and a stepfather, Dr. Harold C. Roberts.
Barb graduated from Ball State University in 1955, then went on to earn her master’s degree in education from Saint Mary’s College. She was a math and fine arts teacher at Concord Junior High School, Elkhart, for more than 25 years, retiring in the late 1980s. After that, she opened The Needle Cranny, an Elkhart sewing and needlepoint craft shop still in business today. She was also a licensed Realtor, a charter member of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America and was an avid collector of teddy bears. She enjoyed cooking and spending time with her family and grandchildren.
