Phil Alan Bowman was born to Harold and Marjorie Bowman May 14, 1945. He was a 1963 graduate of Oak Hill High School and graduated from Colorado School of Mines as a Mining Engineer in 1967. While studying in Golden, Colorado he met his wife, Rebecca Smith, and they had a son, Denton. They returned to Jackson where Phil worked at the family-owned Waterloo Coal Company while also teaching math at Coalton, Ohio. Before Becky passed away in 1977, they bought an empty house at 156 W. South St. to restore.
In 1979, Phil married Diana Morgan and they had two sons, Morgan and Beau. Continuing to pursue his hobby, Phil restored two more houses on South Street and the historic 1920s Jones’ home on Robin Hill, where he lived his last 32 years and died in peace, surrounded by his family and his Faith.
Phil had a rich and varied civic life, receiving many awards to recognize his contributions on local and state levels. Most of all, he loved the employees who worked for Waterloo Coal, and he continued to work on their behalf after selling the company to new owners, including his son, Denton. When Waterloo lost the war on coal, to Phil’s credit, he helped transform the company to survive as the mining reclamation company that it is today.
Phil was a strong believer in the two-party system of our country and was elected to represent our region on the Republican State Central Committee for over 20 years. He invested considerable time and energy to the Jackson County Republican Party.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Charlotte Sargeant, and his brother, Daniel Bowman. He is survived by his wife, Diana; his three sons: Denton (Shannon), Morgan (Mieko), and Beau; his brothers: Keith Bowman and Brian (Sally) Bowman; his sister, Rita (Richie) Edwards; his five grandsons: Austin, Aden, Ashton, Zen, and Koh; and his granddaughter, Rei Bowman.
A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, September 23rd, 2021, at 6 p.m. at the Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, 205 E Cross Street, Oak Hill, OH 45656 with Rev. Jon Hensler officiating. Family will greet guests from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you please consider donating to your favorite charity. Online condolences may be sent to www.lewisgillum.com