Donald Francis Bowman

Donald Francis Bowman, 98, of La Crosse, passed away on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at Marinuka Manor in Galesville.

He was born in La Crosse on July 10, 1923, to August and Mary (Gittens) Bowman and attended both Aquinas and Logan High Schools. While he was working at The Bodega in downtown La Crosse, he met a co-worker named Rose Schultz. They later married on October 24, 1944, at Sacred Heart Church in Pine Creek, WI.

Don worked for the Milwaukee Road Railroad for over forty years before retiring. He was an avid Packer fan, and enjoyed watching NASCAR and his favorite baseball team, the Cardinals. In his free time, he also enjoyed fishing, gardening, playing cards, and reading books and magazine articles about the railroad. In the past, Don had been a member of Knights of Columbus Council 839, and the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1920. He was a long-time member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in La Crosse which is now Mary, Mother of the Church Parish.

Don is survived by three daughters, Mary (John) Schlanser of Champlin, MN, Betty (Michael) Gregerson of Maple Grove, MN, and Barbara (Allen) King of Onalaska; five grandchildren, Ron (Chanda) Stephan, Christopher (Heidi) Stephan, Mark (Beth) Schlanser, Carley Dahl, and Laura Hauert; eight great grandchildren, Jaxson Stephan, Ella Stephan, Kyra Stephan, Emily Stephan, Olivia Schlanser, Josephine Kukuk, Violet Kukuk, and Nick Hauert; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rose, on March 5, 2003; his parents; a daughter, Ruth Ann Arbs; and his siblings, Florence Westover, Fayne Klawitter, Lorraine Yeager, Rosemarie Radtke, his twin sister, Dorothy Frances Larson, Bernadette Ciano, and an infant sister, Bernadette.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, November 19, 2021, at Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, 2006 Weston St., La Crosse, with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Brian Konopa will officiate. Private family committal services will follow at the Garden of Peace Mausoleum in Mormon Coulee Memorial Park.  Masks will be required while in attendance at the church.

Don’s family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the staffs at Mayo Clinic Health System and Marinuka Manor for their wonderful care.

We love and miss you Dad and Grandpa.