Dec. 21, 1949 – Aug 8, 2018
Larry Bower
Larry went to be with his Lord on Aug. 8, 2018, following a year-long fight with pancreatic cancer. At the end he went quickly, spending only four days in the hospital. He was born in Seattle on Dec. 21, 1949 to Donald and Margaret Bower, their first child. Five years later he was blessed with a sister.
He lived with his uncle Raymond Bower and family in Washington, Iowa for a year when he was
Larry at Aunt Maxine – age 14
twelve. He returned to Seattle in time for the Seattle World’s Fair. He attended Ingraham High School and later went to work for the Seattle Water Department. In November 1971, he was doing some work under his car when the blocks supporting the car shifted and the car fell on his chest with enough force to stop his heart and puncture both lungs. This happened the year after Medic One started, and the EMTs were able to get his heart re-started and his lungs inflated. The doctors worried that Larry might have been deprived of oxygen for too long, and the first EEG produced very abnormal readings. The family prayed and the next EEG ten days later was normal. He did not have brain damage. Larry lived for another 47 years.
His job at the Water Department didn’t last long, and Larry tried the Carpenters Union before finally joining the Laborer’s Union. He would switch between both of the Seattle Unions, but he spent more time with LiUNA! Local 242, and retired from that union.
Larry loved to weld and he loved antique steam trains. He traveled to British Columbia, to Baker City in Eastern Oregon, to California and to various places in Washington to ride on vintage trains. He liked to visit Carkeek Park in Seattle and stand on the pedestrian bridge over the train tracks, waiting to see some passing trains. He also loved evergreen trees, especially cedars and sequoias. Larry liked to do things in his workshop. When he repaired his car, he often ended up making a specialized tool to do the job. He was always trying to improve something, or find an inexpensive solution to a problem.
Larry attended the Little Chapel as a child, and much later in life he worshiped at the Bothell Worship Center before going to Calvary Christian Assembly. His faith sustained him during his battle with cancer and helped him keep a positive attitude. He is survived by his sister Carol, and 26 cousins, his parents having preceded him in death.