Ian Curtis Bowers, age 82, a resident of Princeton, passed away at home on January 13 following a brief illness.
Born somewhere between the bean fields and corn fields of Mount Pulaski, Illinois (population 1,500, more or less), Ian was the only child of Glenn and Maxine (nee Cowan) Bowers, who predecease him. After attending Mount Pulaski High School (home of the Hilltoppers), Ian attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne (home of the Fighting Illini), where he earned a BS degree in Communications and a MS in Journalism, before moving to New Jersey and earning a PhD at Rutgers University (home of the Scarlet Knights) in Cultural Anthropology.
Ian’s education stood him in good stead as he progressed through his working life. Teaching gigs at Fordham University, Rutgers University, a stint with the Guggenheim Foundation, and a position as Assistant Publisher of Automobile Quarterly paved the way to a long tenure as a senior executive in both the Human Resources departments of Home Life Insurance Company and the Phoenix Home Life Mutual Insurance Company, formed in 1992 when Phoenix and Home Life merged.
Ian’s passions included skiing, long summer days at the beach, engaging in countless do-it-yourself projects at home in Princeton, and getaways in Vermont and at the Jersey Shore. None however, took precedence over his passion for his spouse of 49 years, Peg Bowers, who survives him. In addition to Peg, his presence will be sorely missed by his sister-in-law Helen, her spouse George, his brother-in-law Frank, his nephew Joseph, Joseph’s spouse Hannah, his grandnephew Leo, his longtime bestie Ron, and countless others who miss him dearly.
Perhaps Ian will be most often remembered for his willingness to pitch in and serve as a gentle éminence grise, the moderator of the various and sundry crises that inevitably occur in the course of home and family life. He will also be remembered for his subtle and sometimes surprising flashes of Midwestern wit, never failing to note at family gatherings that “…There are only two kinds of pie that I like … hot and cold.”
Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home. While no funeral service will be conducted, a celebration of Ian’s life will be held at a date to be determined. Memorial donations in Ian’s name may be made to the charity of your choice.
