Gerald Don Bowers
Dear Family and Friends
It is with great hope that this letter finds you well. It is also with great sadness that I send this letter as a way to celebrate the life of Gerald Don Bowers, who passed away on October 21, 2019. We wanted to share a little about Don's life and the many hats he wore.
At the time of his passing our family thought it would be best to celebrate Don's life in the spring or early summer when the weather would be nice, the roads would be clear, school would be out and life would be good. Who knew that when spring arrived we would be living a different style of life and a new way to celebrate the loss of one we loved.
Don was a New Year's baby, born on January 1, 1941. He lived his life as if every day were his birthday and New New Year's Eve was a millennial party! Born in Del Rio, Texas, the only child of Edith Marie Park and George Earl Bowers, he grew up on a ranch on the Texas-Mexico border. Don loved living the western lifestyle. He raised prize-winning sheep, loved his horses, and going to rodeos. He later discovered a passion for skiing in Colorado and his life revolved around the ski industry for many years.
Don's parents were both school teachers and his Dad was a coach. Don shared those occupations with them. He taught school and coached football in Alvin, Teas. In Fairplay, Colorado he taught school and coached the track team. He thoroughly enjoyed coaching football for the Summit High Tigers in the mid 1990-s. He also enjoyed coaching his children's sports teams which included football, basketball and baseball.
Don wore many hats during his life, everything from working in a bank, a production manager at Bluebell Wrangler, bartending, to owning his own ski shop (Tenderfoot Sports in Dillon, Colorado). He was also a partner in Colorado Sports in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Don often said his favorite job was driving snowcats at A Basin, watching the sun come up over the East Wall, he felt he was on top of the world. He had so many different and interesting jobs within the ski industry: Instructor, trail crew, snowmaking, snowcat driver at A-basin and Copper Mountain., shuttle driver, inventory clerk, the list goes on. He also enjoyed working with heavy equipment and working construction in the summer.
Moving to Grand Junction in 1998 brought back his love for horses, and going to barrel races and rodeos with his daughter. He also had the pleasure of managing the the rental shop at Powderhorn Resort for several years.
There was something else about Don you may or may not know. He was a man full of passion and emotion, which could sometimes be difficult for him to express. He was one of the toughest men we have ever known, both mentally and physically. If you were one of Don's friends you were considered family, you had his loyalty and his love. His children grew up with the saying, "Good better best, never let it rest, until the good get better and the better get best". Many times, that saying was very unappreciated, haha!
Please help our family celebrate the life of Don, a.k.a. Donnie B; Gerald Don Bowers, on Friday June 12, 2020. We will be celebrating "The Many Hats He Wore". Wherever you're at at 6PM (MDT) tip your hat, raise a glass, say a prayer, or share a thought of a good time shared with Don!
Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers, and love to you all -
Lori Bowers
Stephanie Bowers Gray and Christopher Gray,
Granddaughters Amelea, Ryan and Molly,
Sarah and Elliot Hoover, Granddaughter Presley
Jonathan (Jake) and Lauren Bowers.