Maj. Fred W. Bowman Jr., US Army (Ret.)

Major Fred William Bowman Jr., U.S. Army (Ret.) died on September 16, 2021. Fred was born in January 1948 in Mercedes, Texas to Fred W. Bowman and Isaura Garcia Bowman.  He lived his early life in Mercedes, Texas and towns throughout the Midwest where his family traveled as his father was the leader of a group of migrant workers.  The family then settled in Indianapolis, IN.

Fred graduated from Indianapolis Arlington High School and Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. After graduation and completion of the Army ROTC program, he was commissioned as an Infantry Officer. He then served overseas in Okinawa, Japan and two times in South Korea. While in Korea, he met his wife of 42 years Yvonne Gadeken who was an elementary school teacher at Camp Yong San, in Seoul.

Fred also served at a variety of assignments in the United States.

He retired from Active Duty in January 1992 and moved with his family to Powder Springs, GA.  He worked at a variety of jobs and projects as an independent training and employee development consultant before joining Worldspan LP as a training development manager.

Later, Fred traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan where he worked for MPRI as a personnel systems consultant for the Afghan National Army.

Upon his return to the U.S., he was assigned to work on MPRI’s team that was assisting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prepare its response for a possible Avian Influenza Pandemic.

In 2014, he and his wife moved to Harlingen, TX to be closer to his parents.

He held a Master of Science in Management degree from Central Michigan University and was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity and the American Legion Post 421, Powder Springs, GA.

Fred was an avid runner and hiker who could often be found on the local roads and trails wherever he lived.  He frequently participated in marathons and road races.  He also devoted much of his time to coaching sports teams both in and out of the Army.

Fred’s first language was Spanish; his English was mostly self-taught through immersion.  Though he had little formal training in Spanish, he frequently served as an interpreter or translator both in and out of the Army.  He sometimes traveled to Mexico and several South American countries to assist Worldspan’s expansion into these areas.

Fred is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Isaura G. Bowman of Harlingen, TX; and grandson, Jake Eason of LaPorte, IN.

He is survived by his wife, Yvonne Bowman of Harlingen, TX; sister, Betty Willard of Greenfield, IN; and daughters, Amy Eason of LaPorte, IN, Major Ariel Schuetz of Stuttgart, Germany, Rachel Bowman of Ottawa, ONT, Canada; and his grandchildren, Zachary and Mara Eason; and, Felix and Leonie Schuetz.

Fred William Bowman Jr. will be laid to rest with full military honors on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission, TX.

In lieu of flowers, you can honor Fred’s life and legacy with a memorial gift to Disabled American Veterans (dav.org).

Arrangements have been entrusted to Buck Ashcraft San Benito Funeral Home, 1400 W. Business 77, San Benito, TX 78586. www.sanbenitofuneralhome.com 956.291.4644