On July 4, Marilyn Marie Michael Bower "got away," as her son David Bower put it. The longtime Glen Burnie resident and wife of former Harundale Presbyterian Church minister, the late Rev. Robert Bower, died from complications of Parkinson's disease. But Marilyn was sure of her life beyond this one. Her faith wasn't threatened by illness - it was strengthened.
"Toward the end, I was visiting her every day," said Harundale Presbyterian's pastor, the Rev. Tracey Davenport. "We would say to each other, 'See you tomorrow, God willing ... or see you on the other side.' She just had such an amazing faith and I admired her so much."
"My mom really relayed a lot of love and compassion for nature as well as people - things as simple as a fly, bee or snake along the road," David Bower said. "She showed us the value of a life, of love, of compassion and stewardship."
After being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years, Marilyn, who was a 1951 cum laude graduate of Penn State University, became a media specialist in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Her career spanned 22 years. "She was one of the smartest women I've ever met," Davenport said. "She was so incredibly well read, articulate and thoughtful. No matter the topic, she could talk about it easily."
The Bowers began their ministry at Harundale Presbyterian in 1954 shortly after they were married. Marilyn was very active in the women's ministry. She developed a 10-chapter Bible study book on the Holy Spirit, which was used by all the church's circle groups in 1979 and again in 1997.
David spoke of summers spent traveling, courtesy of his mother's teaching schedule. "We were able to travel all over the U.S., Europe, Canada - Mom and Dad toured 75 countries - and the family still has a vacation home in the Poconos where she grew up."
Marilyn's family farm, where she was born on the kitchen table in 1928, borders on a national park.
"It's good to know that we can walk the same hills she walked, and it's not going to turn into a parking lot," David said. Marilyn was a lover of laughter and spending time with her husband, sons and grandchildren. David recalls her saying, "I stick with my brand, as well as my man, and I do not change my recipe."
In addition to David, Marilyn is survived by sons Jonathan and Robert, 11 grandchildren and her older sister Marjorie Seitz of Daytona Beach, Fla.
"You know, we really had a unique family," David said. "My parents really touched a lot of lives, from baptisms to weddings and funerals. I think that since they were so involved in the community, it gave our family more engagement in the local community than others, and that was really neat."
Source: Capital Gazette, July 16, 2013.
"Toward the end, I was visiting her every day," said Harundale Presbyterian's pastor, the Rev. Tracey Davenport. "We would say to each other, 'See you tomorrow, God willing ... or see you on the other side.' She just had such an amazing faith and I admired her so much."
"My mom really relayed a lot of love and compassion for nature as well as people - things as simple as a fly, bee or snake along the road," David Bower said. "She showed us the value of a life, of love, of compassion and stewardship."
After being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years, Marilyn, who was a 1951 cum laude graduate of Penn State University, became a media specialist in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Her career spanned 22 years. "She was one of the smartest women I've ever met," Davenport said. "She was so incredibly well read, articulate and thoughtful. No matter the topic, she could talk about it easily."
The Bowers began their ministry at Harundale Presbyterian in 1954 shortly after they were married. Marilyn was very active in the women's ministry. She developed a 10-chapter Bible study book on the Holy Spirit, which was used by all the church's circle groups in 1979 and again in 1997.
David spoke of summers spent traveling, courtesy of his mother's teaching schedule. "We were able to travel all over the U.S., Europe, Canada - Mom and Dad toured 75 countries - and the family still has a vacation home in the Poconos where she grew up."
Marilyn's family farm, where she was born on the kitchen table in 1928, borders on a national park.
"It's good to know that we can walk the same hills she walked, and it's not going to turn into a parking lot," David said. Marilyn was a lover of laughter and spending time with her husband, sons and grandchildren. David recalls her saying, "I stick with my brand, as well as my man, and I do not change my recipe."
In addition to David, Marilyn is survived by sons Jonathan and Robert, 11 grandchildren and her older sister Marjorie Seitz of Daytona Beach, Fla.
"You know, we really had a unique family," David said. "My parents really touched a lot of lives, from baptisms to weddings and funerals. I think that since they were so involved in the community, it gave our family more engagement in the local community than others, and that was really neat."
Source: Capital Gazette, July 16, 2013.
On July 4, Marilyn Marie Michael Bower "got away," as her son David Bower put it. The longtime Glen Burnie resident and wife of former Harundale Presbyterian Church minister, the late Rev. Robert Bower, died from complications of Parkinson's disease. But Marilyn was sure of her life beyond this one. Her faith wasn't threatened by illness - it was strengthened.
"Toward the end, I was visiting her every day," said Harundale Presbyterian's pastor, the Rev. Tracey Davenport. "We would say to each other, 'See you tomorrow, God willing ... or see you on the other side.' She just had such an amazing faith and I admired her so much."
"My mom really relayed a lot of love and compassion for nature as well as people - things as simple as a fly, bee or snake along the road," David Bower said. "She showed us the value of a life, of love, of compassion and stewardship."
After being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years, Marilyn, who was a 1951 cum laude graduate of Penn State University, became a media specialist in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Her career spanned 22 years. "She was one of the smartest women I've ever met," Davenport said. "She was so incredibly well read, articulate and thoughtful. No matter the topic, she could talk about it easily."
The Bowers began their ministry at Harundale Presbyterian in 1954 shortly after they were married. Marilyn was very active in the women's ministry. She developed a 10-chapter Bible study book on the Holy Spirit, which was used by all the church's circle groups in 1979 and again in 1997.
David spoke of summers spent traveling, courtesy of his mother's teaching schedule. "We were able to travel all over the U.S., Europe, Canada - Mom and Dad toured 75 countries - and the family still has a vacation home in the Poconos where she grew up."
Marilyn's family farm, where she was born on the kitchen table in 1928, borders on a national park.
"It's good to know that we can walk the same hills she walked, and it's not going to turn into a parking lot," David said. Marilyn was a lover of laughter and spending time with her husband, sons and grandchildren. David recalls her saying, "I stick with my brand, as well as my man, and I do not change my recipe."
In addition to David, Marilyn is survived by sons Jonathan and Robert, 11 grandchildren and her older sister Marjorie Seitz of Daytona Beach, Fla.
"You know, we really had a unique family," David said. "My parents really touched a lot of lives, from baptisms to weddings and funerals. I think that since they were so involved in the community, it gave our family more engagement in the local community than others, and that was really neat."
Source: Capital Gazette, July 16, 2013.
"Toward the end, I was visiting her every day," said Harundale Presbyterian's pastor, the Rev. Tracey Davenport. "We would say to each other, 'See you tomorrow, God willing ... or see you on the other side.' She just had such an amazing faith and I admired her so much."
"My mom really relayed a lot of love and compassion for nature as well as people - things as simple as a fly, bee or snake along the road," David Bower said. "She showed us the value of a life, of love, of compassion and stewardship."
After being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years, Marilyn, who was a 1951 cum laude graduate of Penn State University, became a media specialist in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Her career spanned 22 years. "She was one of the smartest women I've ever met," Davenport said. "She was so incredibly well read, articulate and thoughtful. No matter the topic, she could talk about it easily."
The Bowers began their ministry at Harundale Presbyterian in 1954 shortly after they were married. Marilyn was very active in the women's ministry. She developed a 10-chapter Bible study book on the Holy Spirit, which was used by all the church's circle groups in 1979 and again in 1997.
David spoke of summers spent traveling, courtesy of his mother's teaching schedule. "We were able to travel all over the U.S., Europe, Canada - Mom and Dad toured 75 countries - and the family still has a vacation home in the Poconos where she grew up."
Marilyn's family farm, where she was born on the kitchen table in 1928, borders on a national park.
"It's good to know that we can walk the same hills she walked, and it's not going to turn into a parking lot," David said. Marilyn was a lover of laughter and spending time with her husband, sons and grandchildren. David recalls her saying, "I stick with my brand, as well as my man, and I do not change my recipe."
In addition to David, Marilyn is survived by sons Jonathan and Robert, 11 grandchildren and her older sister Marjorie Seitz of Daytona Beach, Fla.
"You know, we really had a unique family," David said. "My parents really touched a lot of lives, from baptisms to weddings and funerals. I think that since they were so involved in the community, it gave our family more engagement in the local community than others, and that was really neat."
Source: Capital Gazette, July 16, 2013.
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