Velda Bowman

Velda Nadine was born February 10, 1929 in Rose Valley (rural Downs) Osborne Co., Kansas to Katie (Rypma) and Justin Miller. She was an active, happy only child who didn't lack for attention, loving the outdoors and her dog.
Velda graduated from eighth grade at Union School, then attended Downs High School participating in band and twirling. She graduated in 1947 and went to work at Rogers Dry Goods in Downs. On November 9, 1948 she married John Bowman and lived on a farm north of Cawker City. While living and farming there, they purchased a dry goods store during the late 1960's where she spent many hours working until selling Velda's Dry Goods in 1975.
Always a social person, she was involved in neighborhood clubs and community activities all her life. During her younger years when the children were growing up, she taught Sunday School at the Downs Methodist Church, switching membership to the Cawker City Methodist Church in the mid l960's. Velda was a 50 year member of the Order of Eastern Star and past Worthy Matron.
When John died in May 1976, she moved a house to the edge of Cawker City and remodeled it herself. After moving to Cawker she worked many years at Waconda East and Cawker City Elementary as a custodian until retiring. Her mother Katie passed a love of gardening, especially flowers, to Velda which she continued enjoying to the end. Having worked for Bock's Garden Center for several years she started her own greenhouse business "Walnut Grove Garden Center". Finally deciding to really 'retire' she closed the Garden Center doors and sold it. Her life was always full of creativity whether making crafts, jellies, quilts, gardening, building Christmas yard decorations or amassing a vast collection of salt and pepper shakers.At Christmas time there was sometimes a steady stream of cars driving by to admire her outside display of Christmas lights.
Her contributions and involvment in the community led to being the 2013 Cawker City Citizen of the Year. Velda's involvement in the community ranged from running the "ice cream" booth to collecting for memorial flowers when needed. She was a familiar sight cruising around in her van to deliver some homemade jelly or collect for some cause. Two days before her passing on March 25,2017, she was potting new plants on her porch, living life to the fullest in her eyes at 88 years of age.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband and a grandson, Travis Watts. Velda leaves behind a community of friends, her children - Cynthia Goth (Warren), Beloit, KS; Barbara Watts (Rick), LaVeta, CO; Richard Bowman (Connie), Salina, KS, eight grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 2 PM Thursday, March 30 at the Cawker City United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 6-7:30 PM Wednesday at the Church. Memorials may be given to the Velda Bowman Memorial Fund to be used for display in the Chautauqua Isle of Lights, honoring her love of Christmas and gardening.