Obituary of John Atkinson Bowman

John Atkinson Bowman Entry - 11/17/53 in Belvedere (Marin County) Exit - 5/28/10 in Santa Cruz John, our dearly loved son, brother, father, uncle, cousin and friend of many, left us after an amazing perseverance against the metastatic prostate cancer with which he was diagnosed at age 53. Physically active up until a few days before he quickly slipped away, he was always looking forward to the next item on his "bucket list." John recently moved from Palo Alto to a wonderful historic home in the Seabright area of Santa Cruz, located on the same block where his extended family rented a beach house, every July for nearly 20 happy years during his youth. His family lived in many different parts of the U.S. (& Canada), driving cross-country each summer - so 3rd Ave in Seabright remained a constant in his early years, and a homecoming at the end; he was close to the ocean and family. After graduating from high school in Ballwin, Mo, John found his way back to Calif. where he graduated from San Jose State Univ. with a B.S. in Meteorology in 1977. This passion took him to a remote job at Cape Romanzof Weather Station, Alaska, on the Bering Sea. A year of isolation was enough; he spent the rest of his work career with Lockheed Martin as a Systems Test Engineer. He loved his work, which took him and wife Donna to Harrogate, England for seven years, where their two sons were born. He also enjoyed multiple work sojourns to Australia and Washington, D.C. Along the way he started his personal weather prognoses, emailed to all as the "Bowcast." A favorite weather phenomenon was tornado formation; one of his dreams was to travel to "Tornado Alley" and be part of a storm-chasing team. Closer to home, John worked as a team member under Pyro Spectaculars North, on the set up and production of Cupertino's annual 4th of July fireworks show. Growing up, John played ice hockey & enjoyed canoeing and mountaineering. He progressively became a competitive athelete, starting with the new sport of windsurfing, then on to triathalons & marathons beginning in the '80's, often with his cousin Deb and sister Ki. He was a lifelong skier and sailor, and a fan of the Giants and the Sharks. John's passing came within days of kayaking with friends on Monterey Bay. He passed away peacefully and painlessly, with his two beloved sons and other family by his side. Thank you, Dr. Michael Wu, for your wonderful care of, and for John. You have a special place in our hearts. And to Joyce Christopher, his "hospice with a little h," for making his world the way he wanted it. John is survived by his parents Jan & Bry Bowman of Scotts Valley; siblings Sue (Jim Raun-Byberg) & Ki (Mike Liles) of Santa Cruz, and Jim (Gail) Bowman of Lake Tahoe, and his dear cousin Deb (George Melnikoff) of Santa Cruz. John's two boys, Bryant & Garreth and his former wife Donna (who remained very close to John) reside in San Jose. His sons were the center of his life. He also leaves much-loved nieces & nephews Shelly & Chris Bowman and Chelsea & Michelle Liles. John's many friends & co-workers brought him much happiness over these past few years - Thank you! We will celebrate John's life in Seabright on June 26th. Anyone needing details please contact a family member. John would be honored if each of us remember to take the time to look skyward for changes in the weather, and wondering what the "Bowcast" might be...