Elvina Ann Bowman

Elvina A. Bowman, age 86 of Forest City, died Tuesday, February 21, 2006 at the Good Samaritan Center in Forest City. Funeral service will be Saturday, February 25 at 10:30 AM at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Leland with Rev. Clarence Baalson officiating. Burial will be at Forest Home Cemetery in Leland. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 PM Friday, February 24 at the funeral home and an hour prior to service at the church.





Elvina Ann Bowman was born on April 9, 1919 in rural Forest City, Iowa, the daughter of Helmer and Elizabeth Ann (Range) Myre. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith and attended rural school near her home. Her father died when she was eleven and the family moved to Forest City where she graduated from Forest City High School in 1937.





She married Orval Bowman on October 12, 1940 at the Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in Forest City. After Orval returned from the service in 1945, the couple made their home on a farm east of Leland for over 45 years. This being where they raised their family. Elvina was a member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Leland where she was active in Ladies Aid, circle and other womenís activities.





Her special interests through the years have included her childrenís and grandchildrenís school programs, sports and concerts. Good memories include lots of picnics, fresh peach pies, Sunday drives, getting together with friends and family, and especially keeping in touch with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, no matter how close or far away they lived.







The couple retired from farming and moved to Forest City in 1991. Orval passed away in April 2000. Elvina continued living at home until recently entering the Good Samaritan Center in Forest City. She died there on February 21, 2006 at the age of 86 years.





Elvina is survived by her children and their spouses: Patricia and Ron Johnson of Bemidji, MN, Marcia and Jon Hillesland of Leland, IA, David and Elizabeth Bowman of Ames, IA, and James and Nancy Bowman of Forest City, IA. Grandchildren include: Ron Jr. and wife Cherlyn, Rod and Randy Johnson and Michael Johnson and wife Angela; Rob and wife Roxanne, Kent and wife Melissa Hillesland, Kandyce and husband Randy Larson; Judd and wife Cassie Bowman; Lindsay and husband Mike Tuszynski and Amy Bowman. Also surviving are eight great-grandchildren: Jennifer, Joshua & Joylyn Johnson, Jessica Johnson, Haley Asmus, Kali Johnson, Isaac Hillesland and Ada Tuszynski: two sisters: Fern Rollefson of Forest City and Gladys Hagenson of Thompson; a sister-in-law, Charlotte Baumann of Bancroft, IA and a brother-in-law, Rudy Monson of Forest City.





Elvina was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Orval, sisters Evelyn Pletcher, Esther Sitzler and Doris Monson, brother Harvey Myre and son-in-law, Jimmy Van Lenning.