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2007 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 432
Celebrating the life of Ralph Keister Bowles.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, February 1, 2007
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 9, 2007
 

WHEREAS, Ralph Keister Bowles of Roanoke, a respected citizen and dedicated community member, died on January 4, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles was born in Kimball, West Virginia, and was a graduate of William Fleming High School and the American Institute of Baking in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles and his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth Thomas Bowles, owned and operated Bowles Bake Shop for 38 years; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles, a member of the Marine Reserves for three and a half years before joining the Army, was a World War II veteran who served with the 106th Infantry Division, 422nd Regiment, Cannon Company, as a radio operator and a forward observer; and

WHEREAS, in December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Ralph Bowles was wounded and taken prisoner of war before being liberated in April 1945; and

WHEREAS, a recipient of the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster, Ralph Bowles was a member of several military organizations, including the Roanoke Valley Chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War, American Legion Post No. 68, Disabled American Veterans, Amvets, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the 106th Infantry Association; and

WHEREAS, a member of the Williamson Road Masonic Lodge No. 163, Ralph Bowles was honored last year with a 50-year membership pin with the Kazim Temple of the Shrine; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles had 58 years of perfect attendance with the Williamson Road Lions Club, volunteered regularly at the Lions Recycling Center, and was honored as a Melvin Jones Fellow of the Lions Club; and

WHEREAS, always concerned with the well-being of his fellow citizens, Ralph Bowles was a faithful member of Huntington Court United Methodist Church and supported the church’s many missions in the community; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his devoted wife, Elizabeth, their four children, nine grandchildren, and many other family and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the passing of a fine Virginian, Ralph Keister Bowles; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Ralph Keister Bowles as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.