Obituary of Gerald Edson Bowkett

Gerald Edson “Jerry” Bowkett, the son of Jessie Fairbrother Bowkett and Harry Stephen Bowkett, was born in Sacramento, California, on September 6, 1926.  Jerry passed away on July 14, 2021, in Olympia, Washington, after a long fight with leukemia. During his final months, he was staying in the home of his daughter, Laura Anne Bowkett Nelson, who was with him along with his daughter, Amanda Allyn Bowkett Wallace, and his son-in-law, Lance Nelson, at the time of his death. He was a devoted husband and father, and was preceded in death by his wife, Norma, who died on April 14, 2020. 

Jerry was raised in Richmond, California, where he graduated from high school. He was a World War II veteran, serving in the First Division of the United States Marine Corps from 1944 to1946 in the Pacific and in postwar China. After the war, he attended flight school, earned his commercial pilot’s license, and flew and trained others in small aircraft, including the open cockpit Stearman. He then attended San Francisco State University where he completed a bachelor’s degree in economics, political science, and history.  It was at the University where he met Norma, the “love of his life,” and following her graduation and their marriage in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, on January 1, 1953, the couple lived in Seldovia, Alaska, where Jerry worked for a short time as a commercial fisherman. Jerry and Norma then moved to Maryland where Jerry began his career as a journalist, interning with United Press in Washington, D.C. Their first child, daughter Amanda Allyn Bowkett Wallace, was born in Maryland during that time.

Following his internship with United Press, Jerry and his family returned to Alaska in 1957 where the family lived for many years. His second daughter, Laura Anne Bowkett Nelson, was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 4,1958. In Anchorage, Jerry worked as a journalist for the Anchorage Times newspaper and as a special correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.  He was later employed as a special assistant to Alaska Governor William Egan in Juneau, Alaska, served as the editor of the Juneau Empire newspaper, and published his own professional newsletter about business concerns in the state. After his years in Juneau, Jerry and his family moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he worked as the manager of information services for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. After his retirement, he wrote and published a book, Reaching for a Star: How a Bold Strategy Won Statehood for Alaska, which was subsequently named as one of the top 67 books about the state by the Alaska Historical Society. Jerry and Norma, now empty nesters, returned to Anchorage, where they lived for several more years.  They also spent a year in China teaching English before moving to Sun City West, Arizona, where they resided for over 25 years until their deaths.

Jerry was an avid reader and outdoorsman, and especially enjoyed traveling, kayaking and hiking. He hiked the Grand Canyon trail when he was 80, backpacking both in and out of the Canyon. A few months prior to his death, he still walked several miles weekly on his treadmill, despite his struggle with the effects of leukemia. He spent several of his last years caring for his ailing wife, Norma, until her death in 2020.

Jerry was kind, loyal, generous, and honest, serving as a role model of integrity, love, support, and devotion to his wife and family and others who associated with him. He is beloved of his family and will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his daughters, Amanda and Laura, and son-in-law Lance Nelson; seven grandchildren: Te-Rangi-Nui-O-Te-Ra Bowkett Peeni Doull, Te-Manu-I-Te-Rangi Hoani Peeni, Jessica Anne Nelson Nelsen, Arapera Aroha Margaretha Peeni, Taylor Bowkett Nelson, and Maraea Mahinarangi Norma Peeni Tsing, with one grandchild, Te-Ra-Nui-I-Te-Rangi Gilbert Peeni, preceding him in death; and 16 great-grandchildren.

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