Jon Bowman, 88 years old, passed away on March 19, 2023 after a battle with Parkinson's disease. Jon
was born in Millboro Springs, VA on September 13 th 1934 and he and his sister, Joan Bowman Kilburn,
were adopted into the family of Mr. Charles L. Bowman and Mrs. Naomi Moran Bowman of Staunton,
VA. Jon's early childhood was spent in Staunton, VA where he attended primary schools and at Augusta
Military Academy in Fort Defiance, VA. Jon Bowman is a Korean War era veteran and first joined the
Naval Reserve corps in 1952 and served four years in the reserve corps while attending college. In late
1956 he enlisted in the US Army as a Private. Jon went to US Army Basic Airborne Qualification school in
1957 at Ft. Bragg, NC, and upon graduation served as a paratrooper at Ft. Bragg, NC in the 82 nd Airborne
Division for three years. From 1960 – 1964, Jon was assigned to the 8 th Signal Battalion in Bad Kreuznach,
Germany. During his 2 nd tour in the continental United States (CONUS), he was assigned back at Ft. Bragg
in 1965 with the XVIII Airborne Corps and became a senior parachutist upon completing Jumpmaster
Qualification school. Staff Sargent Bowman then served in the XVIII Airborne Corps HQ Company signal
detachment and 50 th Signal Brigade (Airborne) during this second Ft. Bragg assignment. In late 1966 Jon
was accepted into Officer Candidate School at Ft. Lee, Virginia, completed O.C.S. in May 1967, and was
commissioned as a 2 nd Lieutenant in the US Army Quartermaster Corp and immediately sent to Vietnam.
In Vietnam Jon served three campaign tours. His first in-country tour was with the 1 st Calvary Division at
Camp Evans, between Hue and Quang Tri, Vietnam from May 1967 – June 1968. It was during this first
Vietnam tour of duty that Jon Bowman received the Bronze Star for action against enemy forces. During
his second tour in Vietnam, Jon served at An Khe for II Corps. During his last tour in Thailand, Jon
supported the Vietnam war from a logistics base near Bangkok.
Jon Bowman's US Army decorations include; Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (First Oak
Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal (Bar), National Defense Service
Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster), Vietnam Service Medal (Three Bronze Campaign Stars), Vietnam
Campaign Medal and Presidential Unit Citation for meritorious service with the 1 st Calvary Division in
Vietnam. During his last tour of duty at Ft. Bragg, NC Jon completed his final college credits to graduate
with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC. In May
1977, Jon Bowman was promoted to the rank of Major, US Army – Quartermaster Corps, and he
officially retired from the US Army (XVIII Airborne Corps) at Ft. Bragg, NC with 25 years of continuous
Meritorious Service to this country in peacetime and war.
In 1978 Jon moved to the Raleigh, NC area and became a business owner. In 1979 Jon Bowman joined
Swift Creek Baptist Church, 9300 Penny Rd. Raleigh, NC, with his family and faithfully committed to
service in the church and his community. For over 43 years Jon Bowman served the Lord as a Choir
member, Deacon, Deacon Chairperson, Youth Leader, Sunday Bible Leader, and guiding influence in the
lives of many parishioners at Swift Creek Baptist Church.
Jon Bowman is survived by his son Charles Bowman, and his grandson Landon Bowman, Charles
Bowman's mother Gisela Baumann David, a step-son William Holt Lewis III, step-daughter Jennifer
White, grandson Brandon White, his sisters Joan Bowman Kilburn, Mary Virginia Devers, Emma Golde
Moore, Wanda Pennington, Brenda Smith, brother Palmer Hartless, and sister Linda Baumann. Jon is
predeceased by his adopting parents, biological parents Jonas Bowman and Mary Virginia Armentrout,
his son John Michael Bowman, and his wife Marion Bowman.