Edna Mae Bowman
Services will be held Saturday, September 20, 5:30 PM at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2935 Birchwood Ave, Bellingham, WA.
Edna Mae “Eddie” (Hammontree) Bowman was born on September 2, 1936 and passed away on August 28, 2025 in Bellingham, WA, after an eight-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. She lived a full and active life. Eddie was a devoted wife, mother, sister and grandmother who always put the interests of her family and others ahead of her own comfort and needs.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Richard “Dick” Bowman; parents, Robert and Geneva Hammontree; sisters, Karen Skelton, Roberta Porter, Lynda Warner, and brother, Chuck Hammontree.
She is survived by: sister, Sandy Spencer; sons, Joel (Tamie), Seth (Kim), Barak (Liza), Doug Baumgart (Danielle); daughters, Pippa Dobie (Scott) and Wendy Malick (Gary); grandchildren, Allison Bowman, Megan Blakley (Cuff), Erica Tayag (Antonio), Liam Dobie (Lillie), Levi Dobie (Gwen), Nathan Malick, Levi Malick (Angel), Savannah Baumgart, and Koltan Baumgart; great-grandson, August Dobie.
Eddie graduated from Ball State University with a bachelor’s degree in English. Eddie and Dick started their life together on December 25, 1956, in Logansport, Indiana.
Mom was a talented seamstress and loved sewing and making gifts for family and friends. She enjoyed language and spoke Spanish well, loved to swim and enjoyed water ballet. Her extensive shell collection was collected over many years of enjoyable beachcombing. Mom and Dad always enjoyed gardening together and were master gardeners. Like their garden, their generosity was abundant.
Since her baptism in 1962 as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mom's greatest love has been helping people learn about the Creator and his beautiful purpose for the earth soon to be fulfilled.
We will miss her very much, but our hope comforts us as we look forward to seeing her and Dad soon in a perfect world.
Memories
From Abbey & Rob Kondos
Beautiful💕 Thanks for sharing. Thoughts and prayers for you all 🙏🏻❤️🩹
From PAT FERRY
MY SINCERE CONDOLENCES TO THE BOWMAN FAMILY, MAY GOD BLESS HER SOUL AND MAY SHE REST IN ETERNAL PEACE!
From Kela Baumgart
Thank you so much for sharing this. Your mom has a special place in my heart. I hope we meet again.
Love you Pippa 💕
From April & Scott …
I will always remember the love and kindness Aunt Eddie showed our family. The walks on the beach and her knowledge on gardening. It will be wonderful when we are all together again. Love to you all!
From Sandy Spencr
You are going to be missed to lose you and Lynda the same month is just a little hard the only one left but will be joining you soon. Love you all💖
From Wendy Malick
Mom taught me so many things: To love hard work, to be creative, to garden and love to work with your hands. She was proud of me when I challenged myself to learn and try new things. I mimic her love for walks on beaches, and tasting new food. I loved it when she would call me over (I lived next door) to see a new creative sewing art project to get my approval or if she was going out to have me put her make-up on.
She was not only my mother but my friend. We went on trips together and got on like best friends. She did her first backpacking trip with me when she was 60 and the second at 62. She was a trooper always at the back of my heals and never with a complaint. She and dad visited us in Italy and we traveled around Europe. They were the best travel companions. Mom and I went to Cabo San Lucas, we took a cruise on a Pirate Ship and went snorkeling near the arch. Our last trip was to Hawaii to meet my brothers and son, Levi, who sailed there. She was always up for adventure and I inherited that.
She loved my boys and they loved her. Nathan and Levi would spent so much time with her, she was a good listener and always very supportive. I have a fond memory of coming home one day and seeing mom and my husband, Gary, sitting in the shade under a tree talking and laughing together. It still warms my heart today thinking about it.
She was a wonderful person that gave so much to her family. I am so grateful for all she taught me. I love you mom and will miss you terribly. Wendy
From Barb Swinburnson
Condolences from Aunt Barb and Uncle Jim, Doug and Danielle. My most outstanding memory of Eddie was watching her dance with Dick at your wedding. They could sure cut a rug! ❤️
From Becky Martin (…
Aunt Eddie will always be remembered by me as a woman who loved life and her family . She was super talented and her hand made gifts were the best - the lavender lace sachets she gave all us girls … I still have and wear a shell 🐚 necklace she bought back on a trip from Guam . She had such energy and I admired her intellect and ability to to talk to everyone so easily .
I hope to see her again along with so many others we loved . Sending warm thoughts for the family who lost their mother .
From Phil Roth
It my pleasure to have enjoyed the Bowman family from the early 1960’s. It is sad to see one generation end but we all look forward to the time when no generation will ever end. My brotherly love to the whole family.
From Seth Bowman
My mother was a very special lady and I was blessed to have her and my father raise us children. It was a loving environment that reflected their heavenly father’s personality and provided an atmosphere that allowed us children to flourish.
Mom was a loving and supportive wife and probably one of the most selfless, hardest working persons I have ever known. I’m only sorry I didn’t really appreciate it more when I was young.
She definitely loved life and put a lot of energy into helping other people, whether using one of her many talents to make a personal unique and useful gift or helping someone spiritually to improve their personal and family life and come to know and love their creator.
Both Mom and Dad were amazingly hospitable and we had people over all the time and many large congregation gatherings that brought joy to all. Dad also often opened our home to those in need and mom never complained, but took care of them like they were a member of the family.
As a larger family, we were never well off, yet we never knew that we weren’t! I remember being surprised we qualified for free school lunches, but mom made us a hot delicious breakfast and a hearty lunch every day and I don’t think we ever missed sitting down for dinner as a family. I don’t think any of us kids ever felt that we were short of anything.
Mom remained an amazingly supportive mother, grandmother and spiritual sister to so many.
It was really hard to see mom begin to suffer from dementia and, in the end, suffering from severe Alzheimer’s. Especially, because mom had always been the sharpest "tool in the shed”. But even when Mom had to go into a memory care facility, she had a huge impact on those that worked there. Often we would hear from those that worked with mom how much they loved her and how their children really liked mom and would always ask how she was doing.
Even as the disease progressed and mom no longer recognized family and eventually even quit snapping her head down when I would mention prayer. But even then she had a great smile and a cute wink!
I look forward to welcoming both Mom and Dad back in the new system and being able to express my deep appreciation for both of their sacrifices on our behalf!
Love you Mom! See you soon!
From Liza May Bowman
More than 50 years ago, Pippa and Wendy observed my mother, Pearl, sitting by Lake Padden sorting Bible-based magazines that she had discovered at the laundromat. They quickly ran to report this to their parents, Dick and Eddie Bowman, who, like Philip the evangelizer, literally jogged up to my mother and asked if she wanted help to understand what she was reading by means of a personal Bible study. Pearl began developing her precious relationship with Jehovah God and taught us children about our Perfect Father, Jehovah. We are eternally grateful to both Jehovah God and Edna Mae Bowman for her tireless witnessing efforts. Additionally, I'm eternally grateful to them both for my wonderful husband, Barak. Like Dick and Eddie, who beautifully modeled serving Jehovah wholeheartedly, their children, grandchildren, and spiritual children brilliantly reflect their heavenly Father's loving qualities. We can't wait to joyfully welcome Eddie back with dancing, ice cream, avocados, and the love of all who love her, especially her God, Jehovah.💝
From Bonnie Clocker
Sending condolences to the Bowman family for the loss of their dear mother and grandmother, Eddie. She was such a loving person. Surely her name is in God’s book of life (Malachi 3:16). We look forward to seeing her again in gods promised paradise! Her faithful example meant so much to our family. She was a beautiful life long friend. Mom has been her friend since 1971 when Eddie studied the Bible with her.
In Eddie’s letters, she always spoke happily about her ministry and was concerned with how we were all doing, especially spiritually. May Jehovah God, our loving Heavenly Father, give you all peace and comfort until you can hug your sweet mom again!
From Jo Talbot
Eddie and I had a wonderful friendship, perhaps not known to many but certainly treasured by me. A lot of my memories stem from our times in the ministry together and i learned so much from her, I was always astounded at the conversations she had with people, how invested she was and thoughtful, She would always have just the right article for someone and little scraps of paper with scriptures and thoughts on them. Sometimes I wondered how she kept it all organized but she did. Her and I also went to the PIckford Theatre , it was just the two of us and a cherished memory. We had some great chats and good laughs. I also remember when her car was in desperate need of a new tint job , it had bubbled over and she could not see well out of it, Troy my husband used to do tinting and so he did the entire car for her and to say she was over the moon is an understatement. I think from then on she loved Troy more, just kidding but she was so grateful, Troy wanted to do it because her and Dick had always been so gracious and kind to us, and yes she was a wonderful seamstress, she did all my sewing for me beautifully. I did not visit Eddie at the memory care not because I had forgotten her or didn't love her , that couldn't be further from the truth but I wanted to remember her as she was. I so look forward to picking up where we left off. All my love to the family , Jo
From Jill Maez
One thing I always remember are the volleyball games and many get togethers at the Bowman home. Dick and Eddie were so kind, generous and loving to all at their home. You always felt like family there! We miss them both. See you in Paradise!
From DENNIS MCDANIEL
I knew Eddie since 1951 at Logansport h.s. I am disappointed. Eddie was too smart even to be a Christian, much less a JW.,
Dennis, PhD
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