Rebecca
Rebecca Peebles Bowen
d. September 11, 2018
Rebecca Peebles Bowen of Lynchburg, Va., departed this life recently at Westminster Canterbury at age 91. Wife of Dr. Robert R. Bowen, a Lynchburg orthopedic surgeon, she was a Sussex County native. She was raised at “Dunnlora”, graduated from Stony Creek High, and studied merchandizing at Richmond Polytechnic Institute (now VCU).
While Robert pursued his MCV degrees, Rebecca put her keen eye for fashion (…“meet me under the Clock Tower at a quarter to 12:00 in time for the Tea Room fashion show”…) to work as an Assistant Buyer of children’s apparel for the Miller & Rhoads department store. When the Bowens moved to Lynchburg, she continued her retail career; she and two partners opened The Attic, a boutique antique shop. Her customer focus, retail savvy and eye for design, form and color all fostered its success for many years.
Rebecca was brought up in a tradition of community responsibility. She continued this in Lynchburg where she and Dr. Bowen sponsored the Lynchburg Symphony’s annual community concert and fireworks for many years. They created the Bowen Foundation to support local charities and nonprofits. They endowed Lynchburg General Hospital with a modern surgical suite and supported the nursing school.
To her nieces, AB (Aunt Rebecca) was the “fun aunt” who served crab cakes, arranged tennis games, critiqued attire, loaned jewelry, tolerated guitar practice and shared art class ideas. She was a skilled amateur artist and a fiercely competitive tennis player.
Rebecca was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Robert Richardson Bowen, parents William Dunn and Mary Emmerson Dobie Peebles, brother, Thomas Nathaniel Peebles, and sisters, Anne Dobie Peebles and Alice Peebles Lilley. She is survived by nieces, Mary Dunn Conover (Harold) of Stony Creek and Rebecca Anne Lilley (James Thomas) of Carson, grandnieces Laura Lilley Ellis of Montpelier and Mary Alice Crawford (Eric) of Prince George. She is also survived by sister-in-law Peggy Bowen (Leroy) of Goode, niece Susan Bowen Sineath (Charles) of Boca Grande, FL and nephews David L. Bowen (Carole) and William P. Bowen (Kathryn) of Goode, and Paul R. Bowen (Nobuko) of Kitty Hawk, NC and a very special, long-term friend, Rosa B. Braxton of Forest.
Rebecca’s memorial service will be on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at Tharp Funeral Home’s Lynchburg Chapel. The visitation will begin at 10 a.m. and the service will start at 11 a.m. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to your favorite charity.
Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family. To send condolences, please visit obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com.
While Robert pursued his MCV degrees, Rebecca put her keen eye for fashion (…“meet me under the Clock Tower at a quarter to 12:00 in time for the Tea Room fashion show”…) to work as an Assistant Buyer of children’s apparel for the Miller & Rhoads department store. When the Bowens moved to Lynchburg, she continued her retail career; she and two partners opened The Attic, a boutique antique shop. Her customer focus, retail savvy and eye for design, form and color all fostered its success for many years.
Rebecca was brought up in a tradition of community responsibility. She continued this in Lynchburg where she and Dr. Bowen sponsored the Lynchburg Symphony’s annual community concert and fireworks for many years. They created the Bowen Foundation to support local charities and nonprofits. They endowed Lynchburg General Hospital with a modern surgical suite and supported the nursing school.
To her nieces, AB (Aunt Rebecca) was the “fun aunt” who served crab cakes, arranged tennis games, critiqued attire, loaned jewelry, tolerated guitar practice and shared art class ideas. She was a skilled amateur artist and a fiercely competitive tennis player.
Rebecca was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Robert Richardson Bowen, parents William Dunn and Mary Emmerson Dobie Peebles, brother, Thomas Nathaniel Peebles, and sisters, Anne Dobie Peebles and Alice Peebles Lilley. She is survived by nieces, Mary Dunn Conover (Harold) of Stony Creek and Rebecca Anne Lilley (James Thomas) of Carson, grandnieces Laura Lilley Ellis of Montpelier and Mary Alice Crawford (Eric) of Prince George. She is also survived by sister-in-law Peggy Bowen (Leroy) of Goode, niece Susan Bowen Sineath (Charles) of Boca Grande, FL and nephews David L. Bowen (Carole) and William P. Bowen (Kathryn) of Goode, and Paul R. Bowen (Nobuko) of Kitty Hawk, NC and a very special, long-term friend, Rosa B. Braxton of Forest.
Rebecca’s memorial service will be on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at Tharp Funeral Home’s Lynchburg Chapel. The visitation will begin at 10 a.m. and the service will start at 11 a.m. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to your favorite charity.
Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family. To send condolences, please visit obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Rebecca Peebles Bowen, please visit our flower store.
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