Elaine (Rowley) Bowles Obituary
Elaine Rowley Bowles passed peacefully November 10th 2023. Elaine was born February 7th 1943 in Ogden Utah to Richard and Lola Rowley. She was the second of eight children. The family moved frequently for her father's job and lived all over California, Utah, and for a short time Hawaii. Elaine loved helping to care for her siblings where she found she had a way with children and newborns. Later in life this led to her fostering 28 children. Elaine graduated from Covina High in Covina California. She then attended BYU pursuing a degree in fine arts. While attending college she was set up on a blind date with Kaydell Corwin Bowles. They married for time and all eternity on December 30th 1964 in the Salt Lake Temple. Kaydell and Elaine had three children, George (Connie) Bowles, Brenda (Virgil) Leners, Jason (Kristina) Bowles.
Elaine was very artistic and excelled in many areas, she was an accomplished seamstress, in her younger years she loved drawing and oil painting, wood carving and brass sculpting and photography. When her children moved out she returned to finish an associate degree at Columbia Basin College. She graduated with honors and an associate degree in fine arts/photography.
Kaydell and Elaine served a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints in Dusseldorf, Germany. They loved serving the people in Dusseldorf and have remained close to many of the familes they served. They also loved working at Friedensdorf, a school and hospital for children all over Europe who had severe birth defects or were ravaged by perils of war. They would talk for hours about the children they played and worked with.
Elaine loved to serve and held many callings in the church throughout the years. As her mother in law developed dementia and needed full time care Elaine took her into her home and tenderly cared for her until she passed. Soon after her beloved husband developed Alzheimers. For many years she cared for him.
In October of 2022 Elaine was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. She had the tumor removed and then went through months of radiation and chemotherapy. At the same time she was battling kidney failure. She was starting to recover and to her delight grow hair when she fell and broke her left femur. Elaine was gaining strength and just starting to walk again when she fell and broke the right femur. This was just too much for her frail body to recover from.
Elaine passed peacefully November 10th with her daughter by her side. She is preceded in death by her parents Richard and Lola Rowley, her sister Lola Ann Barlow and 3 grandchildren, Joseph Leners, Amanda Myhre and Richard Bowles
She is survived by her husband Kaydell of 58 years, 3 children, 19 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
All our love till we meet again
Services will be held November 18th , viewing at 10am and service at 11am at:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints
3701 Watkins Way West Richland, WA
Burial will November 20th at noon in Afton Wyoming.
Their wishes are instead of flowers to take the monies you would have spent and donate to the charity of your choice.
