Gary Dewayne Bowman

Gary DeWayne Bowman, 85, passed away June 22, 2025. He was born October 07, 1939 the only child of Wayland and Margaret (Madison) Bowman in Emporia, KS.

Gary grew up in Greenwood County in the town of Virgil. His father worked in the oil patch for his brother-in-law and on the Quincy/Virgil natural gas pipeline. Gary didn’t like school much but enjoyed anything mechanical and working with his hands. He even built his own working oil rig as a teenager. After high school, Gary moved with his parents to Attica, KS and found work with a home builder. A couple of years later, he moved to Emporia where he worked for Lister Construction. When his mentor retired, Gary started Bowman Construction. Although school was not a strength, he studied for and passed the test to become a licensed contractor.

Gary was known to be a perfectionist in his work (“Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.”). Gary was a kind person and hated to tell a customer that he couldn’t do a project for them. Because of the quality of Gary’s work (and reasonable pricing), he had many repeat customers, and some would wait 6 months to a year so that Gary would be the one to complete their project. To Marlene’s frustration, Gary

would often trade apple pies for small jobs.

He and Marlene enjoyed traveling and when Becky and Mike were little, they would travel all around Kansas to attend tractor pulls. There were many times when driving home at night the lights of an oil rig would be spotted in the distance. Gary would head in that direction, introduce himself to whomever was working and would soon find someone in common that they both knew.

Gary loved to talk with people. This led to the creation of “The Virgil Bunch”. The group started with his 1957 classmates and quickly spread to over 30 people. The group still meets 4 times a year and prior to each gathering, Gary would contact each person in the group to remind them and get a headcount, so that he could reserve space at the restaurant. The last time the group got together was this past April. Gary was unable to travel, so the group came to him, and lunch was held at the Catholic Care Center. It meant the world to Gary (and his family) that everyone would drive the extra miles for him.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene (Cyphers) in 2023.

Gary is survived by his children, Becky (David) Hundley, Michael Bowman; grandchildren, Benjamin (Elizabeth) Hundley, Margaret Hundley; great grandchildren, Emerson, Eden and Callum Hundley.

Services will be held in September 2025 in Emporia to coincide with Gary and Marlene’s wedding anniversary and interment at Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, 313 S Market St, Wichita, KS 67202, Greenwood Historical Society & Museum, 120 W 4th St, Eureka, KS 67045 or USD 252 Honor Flight, 100 Commercial St., Ste A, P.O. Box 278, Hartford, KS 66854.