Obituary of Kenneth and Joyce Bowers

Kenneth Joseph BowersJune 24, 1932 – April 19, 2011Kenneth Joseph Bowers, age 79, was born on June 24, 1932 in Anoka, MN. Ken died of cancer on April 19, 2011 at his home in Colorado Springs. He was a resident of Colorado Springs for 40 years. Ken was in the Air Force for 23 years. He served two tours in Vietnam. Ken retired from the Air Force as an E8 Master Sergeant, he was an aeronautical engineer. Ken was an independent business owner; he owned and operated a Texaco gas station, then Bowers Automotive, and finally Lee's Machine shop. Ken met his wife Joyce while in the Air Force, stationed in England. They eloped and moved to Bermuda. They loved to travel and camp with their motor home all over the west. Ken was an avid outdoorsman, a self-taught wood worker who had an amazing talent to create furniture. Everyone that ever met Ken always remembered him for being a kind man with a memorable personality. Ken always cared more for the people that worked for him than he did himself. Ken had a true passion for cars; he always had a Lincoln, a Ford Truck and a Jeep. Ken was a great father, grandfather, uncle and husband. Ken was married to Joyce for 57 years before she passed in January of 2011.Ken is survived by his sister, Jean (Red) Glover; his son, Kenneth Charles Bowers of Colorado Springs; daughter, Kerry Engelson of Aurora, Colorado; son-in-law, Jeff Engelson; grandson, Jack; granddaughter, Kaitlyn; and numerous nieces and nephews in both the states and England.Ken and Joyce loved life and the people in it; they were always looking for ways to have fun, or an adventure. They only survived 70 days apart and now they are forever young, happy and healthy in heaven together for ever.A joint memorial service for Ken and Joyce will be held at 2:00 PM Friday, April 29, 2011 at The Springs Funeral Services.Joyce Isabel BowersOctober 28, 1924 – January 29, 2011Joyce Isabel Bowers, age 86, was born on October 28, 1924 in Manchester England. Joyce died of emphysema on January 29, 2011. She was a resident of Colorado Springs for 40 years. Joyce was a military wife for 23 years, raised 2 children and was a house wife. She was born and raised in England and married a Yankee and moved to the states and became a US citizen. Joyce loved to camp in the motor home and cook American food. Joyce loved to collect glass crystal figurines and pictures of her grandchildren. Joyce's favorite pass time was finding a great bargain; she loved to shop. She never went back to England once she left, and she traveled to the states on the Queen Mary and when they made it a hotel in the Long Beach harbor she went and visited it. She was amazed to find how many "Brits" were there visiting it, and was reminded that she was one too. Joyce moved all over the states with Ken, from MN, Florida, Alaska, Louisiana, Missouri, and Colorado where they bought their first and only home. Ken and Joyce always made a home for small dogs and loved mutts the most. The big family secret is the fact that she was 7 years older than Ken; she even changed her own birth certificate to hide it. Joyce was a wonderful mother, wife and grandma and would do anything for her family. Joyce and Ken waited a long time for their first grandchild and on the day that Jack was born they were dressed in their Sunday best to meet him at the hospital. Joyce loved to fly out to California to spend time with her grandkids, and went to Disneyland more times than she ever wanted to.Joyce is survived by her children, Kenneth Charles Bowers and Kerry Engelson; her grandchildren, Jack (15) and Kaitlyn (12) Engelson, whom she will always be remembered fondly as Baca. Joyce has nieces and nephews in both the states and England. In the last year of her life she was cared for by Evercare and many of the caretakers she loved dearly.Ken and Joyce loved life and the people in it; they were always looking for ways to have fun, or an adventure. They only survived 70 days apart and now they are forever young, happy and healthy in heaven together for ever.A joint memorial service for Ken and Joyce will be held at 2:00 PM Friday, April 29, 2011 at The Springs Funeral Services.Funeral Home:The Springs Funeral Services3115 East Platte AvenueColorado Springs, , COUS 80909 Events Service Friday, April 29, 2011 2:00PM The Springs Funeral Services 3115 East Platte Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80909 Phone: 719-207-8855