Obituary for Bradley Bowman

Bradley Jay Bowman

March 23, 1931 – August 28, 2021

Bradley Jay Bowman, age 90, of Ponca City, Oklahoma passed away August 28, 2021 at Ponca City Nursing and Rehab.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Bishop Bryant J. Hardy officiating. Those unable to attend the ceremony may attend virtually on the Trout Funeral Home website www.troutfuneralhome.com and click on the live-stream or toolbar icon on the top right corner after 1:45PM. B. Jay will be laid to rest at Kansas Veterans Cemetery, Winfield, Kansas at a later date.

B. Jay was born on March 23, 1931 in Milford, Utah to Walter Earl and Blanche Elizabeth (Twiss) Bowman. Grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. He started working at age 5 bringing coal up from the basement. Other jobs included soda jerk and gas station attendant. He briefly attended Brigham Young University. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He married Alice Steinhoff on 30 May 1953, during a one day visit to San Diego, his ship then went to Korea.

In the Navy he served as sonarman on a variety of ships. Rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer he was teaching at the Anti-Submarine Warfare School in San Diego when he was commissioned to the rank of Ensign. Jobs as an officer included Deck/3rd/Executive Officer on a variety of ships including several cruises to the waters off Viet Nam. Other duties included Executive Officer at Underwater Sound Labs (Bermuda), Recruit Battalion Commander (San Diego) and Officer in Charge, Admundsen/Scott Station (South Pole, Antarctica).

Following retirement as a Lt. Commander, he returned to college at Northeastern Oklahoma State University (Tahlequah). He achieved his bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Pathology. He then did post graduate work at Gallaudet College (Washington, D.C.).

While at Gallaudet he began his teaching career at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. He then taught at the Kentucky School for the Deaf (Danville, Kentucky). While teaching in Kentucky he completed his Master’s degree during two summer sessions at Southern Mississippi State University, Phi Beta Kappa.

Other interests over the years included gunsmithing, Amatuer Radio, radio controlled aircraft, photography, restoring a Model T, woodworking, model railroading, Facebook/Yoworld, and rocks.

As a rockhound he served in a number of offices in the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies, the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, and the Rough and Tumbled Rock and Gem Club of Ponca City Oklahoma.

Survivors include his daughter Bonnie Street, his son and daughter-in-law Jay and Gina Bowman. A number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.

Preceding in death were his wife Alice Bowman and son Jesse Bowman

Memorial contributions may be made to your local humane society, Hospice of Ponca City, or NRA-ILA. We invite you to leave a message of condolence, expression of sympathy or perhaps share a memory of Bradley at www.troutfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory, 505 W Grand Ave, Ponca City, OK 74601.

Source: Trout Funeral Home