Paul Nelson Bowerman

Paul Nelson Bowerman was born Aug. 9, 1961 in Floriana Malta, to James Nelson Bowerman and Sarah Katherine Bowerman.  His dad worked for Esso Oil Company (later to become Exxon), and the family was living in Libya at the time.  Because the doctor expected the delivery to be difficult, he had Paul’s mom go to Malta for better hospital facilities.  Malta is the island on which St. Paul was shipwrecked and is named in Acts 28:1. This is why his parents named him Paul. He had two older sisters, Marsha and Ginger, and was doted on as the baby of the family and the only boy.  Paul spent his first 6 years living in Libya; then the family moved to Australia until he reached junior high.  They lived in Calgary, Canada during Paul’s junior high years, and then on to New Orleans for high school.  He had dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Malta for a while, but didn’t take the necessary steps to retain his Maltese citizenship.  He used to say he should have done that, because he might have been able to go the Olympics in some obscure sport if he represented a tiny country such as Malta.

 

Paul obtained his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rice University in 1983.  It was at Rice that he and Mary met, fell in love, and became engaged.  After graduation they both moved to Southern California and started graduate school.  They got married in December of 1983, and he finished his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and began work at JPL in July of 1984.  He spent his entire career (36 years) at JPL, holding various positions, and was respected and loved by all who knew him.  He had a retirement date set for April 17 of this year, but decided to postpone it when the COVID pandemic caused the economy to take a dive.

 

Paul and Mary have two sons, Michael (age 29) and Drew (age almost-27), who are the light of their lives.  Paul would fairly burst with pride whenever anyone asked about them – or even if they didn’t.  He was a gentle, kind, and loving husband and father right up until the end.

 

Paul greatest passions were his love for the Lord, his family, math, gardening, and singing in choir – in pretty much that order.  He truly loved to sing and was in choirs from high school onward.  He loved gardening and grew most of his vegetables from seeds which he had harvested from the previous year’s crop. Many people have enjoyed the fruits of his labor, as he enjoyed sharing them with any and all who wanted them.  He loved math, and enjoyed talking about it with his sons as well as working on challenging math/logic puzzles while Mary just sat back and admired.  Paul loved his family with his whole heart, and none ever doubted his love for them.  Most of all, Paul truly loved the Lord, and tried to serve Him with all his heart.