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2021 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 329
Celebrating the life of Joseph Richard Stowers.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, January 28, 2021
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 1, 2021

 

WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Stowers, an esteemed transportation planning expert and an active and beloved member of the Reston community, died on December 19, 2020; and

WHEREAS, born in San Francisco, California, Joseph “Joe” Stowers earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Santa Clara University before relocating to the Washington, D.C., area to work for the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, which later became the Department of Transportation; and

WHEREAS, after earning a doctoral degree in transportation and urban planning at Northwestern University, Joe Stowers served as president of Sydec, a transportation planning and consulting firm that helped states and localities across the nation implement highway projects; and

WHEREAS, one of the first residents of Reston, Joe Stowers was a passionate and inspirational advocate for his community, serving as both chair and co-chair of the Reston Planning and Zoning Committee for more than 15 years; and

WHEREAS, an accomplished athlete, Joe Stowers completed 10 marathons throughout his life, including the Boston Marathon, and 22 triathlons in Reston; he was also an early and highly involved member of the Reston Runners running club; and

WHEREAS, Joe Stowers contributed greatly to the development of Reston’s infrastructure in recent years, serving on the Reston Association’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee during the planning phase for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Silver Line and designing trail signage that appears prominently in the area; and

WHEREAS, guided throughout his life by his deep and abiding faith, Joe Stowers was a founding member of the Reston Catholic Community, later the Saint Thomas ŕ Becket Catholic Church, and enjoyed worship and fellowship with the NOVA Catholic Community for many years; and

WHEREAS, Joe Stowers will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife of nearly 60 years, Marcia; his children, Michelle, John, Jennifer, and Paula, and their families; and numerous other family members 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 loss of Joseph Richard Stowers, a respected transportation consultant and local leader who had a profound and lasting impact on countless lives in the Reston community; and, be it

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