Obituary of Julia Rose Bowman

Julia Bowman was born Julia Rose Dillman in New York City--on the lower East Side of Manhattan--in 1933. The second youngest of eleven children, she was the first to be born in a hospital and was acknowledged as the peacemaker between very rambunctious and individualistic siblings. She was the one who always remembered every birthday and anniversary for an extensive extended family over generations. In addition to her conciliatory demeanor and prodigious memory, among her accomplishments one might cite that she was captain of her high school basketball and volleyball teams at Washington Irving High School in addition to being an avid swimmer; that she loved to tap dance and once auditioned for the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall; and that as a secretary she operated a uniquely complicated piece of equipment, the Elliott-Fisher machine, that created ornate and oversized legal documents for insurance companies. She loved to sing and she could name any tune in three notes. Julia could name every plot and major cast member in hundreds of films, too. As a child she would memorize and perform entire musicals for her father, her preferred and indulgent audience of one. Julia's greatest achievement, all who knew her would agree, was as a mother. A Jewish neighbor once told Julia that her children were her diamonds: rare, precious, and enduring; and she believed this. Her devotion to them resulted in a son and daughter, and a son-in-law, who were with her and cared for her always until the very end. She gave AnneMarie her culinary skill, her love of family, and her stamina in appeasing all. She imparted to Michael his sense of humor, his wit, and his tolerance despite occasional hyperbolic tirades. Never without a rosary, in both children she instilled hope and fortitude deriving from a complete faith and trust in God and His mother. Julia means "youthful" in Latin and, despite her age, Julia Bowman maintained the optimism and openness of youth. She was courageous and long-suffering until the end and surely she must be delighted to be reunited with her loved ones who went before her even though she leaves us grieving for her departure. Nevertheless, she taught us that this is all in God's plan and that we will be together again someday. Aside from her youthful entertaining, she eschewed the limelight and never wanted any attention. She always put others first throughout her 84 years. Her only regret, in fact, might be that we who are left behind are making such a fuss over her leaving. Her exit leaves us wanting an encore even though we know it must be on a very different stage and in another season.