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Harris Bowering July 6th, 1924 – October 8th, 2008  Harris Bowering was born July 6th, 1924 in a house at the bottom of Charlie’s Hill in the community of Coley’s Point on Conception Bay, Newfoundland. With three older sisters, Mary Mildred, Nellie, and Ruby, two older brothers, Dugald and Cecil, and two younger brothers, Ted and Eric, Harris was the sixth of eight children born to John and Rhoda Bowering. Sadly only four of the children lived to adulthood. During WW2 Harris worked for Trans World Airlines in Gander, Nfld. It was there that he met Josephine Finlay and they were married on April 30th, 1948. Looking for a better life and a fresh start, Harris and Jo emigrated to British Columbia, settling in Burnaby. There they raised their family - their daughters Shirley, Lorraine, and Suzanne and their sons Jim and Joe.
In BC, Harris first worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, then for BC Ice and Cold Storage until 1967 when he brought his family to Newfoundland for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. On their return to BC he worked for Royal City Foods as a supervisor for Delnor, the frozen foods division, until his retirement. Harris and Jo moved to Kelowna in 1990, but would often spend winters in Yuma, Arizona. They also made several trips to Newfoundland and other places. Tragically, in the late-1990s, Josephine was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and, in witness of his true devotion Harris cared for her at home for many years. Jo passed away in 2003. Harris could build anything or fix anything and his children always called upon him to do just that, whether it was building a spaceship for his grandchildren, shelves, workbenches, fixing small appliances, etc., he could do it all. In July 2007 he attended the Bowering family reunion in Ottawa with daughters Shirley and Suzanne. There he met many of the Bowering descendents and entertained them with tales of Newfoundland, most notably the story of the shipwreck endured by his father John Bowering. In September 2008 he returned to Newfoundland once again with Shirley, Lorraine and Rene, and his grandson Matt to make one last visit to the places where he grew up. Harris’ love of music and pride of his heritage was instilled in his children and grandchildren. We have our memories, but everyone will still miss the times around the breakfast table with grandpa’s tea and toast and much loved strawberry jam! If you’re wondering about the expression found in his obituary and on the memorial cards, “long may your big jib draw”, it’s a Newfoundland expression. Harris used it to toast special occasions, and simply put, it means “may you have smooth sailing on your life’s journeys”. We thank you Dad for your dignified, faithful, humble example of a life well lived. Bye for now. Shirley, Lorraine, Suzanne, Jim, and Joe |
