Dorothy Holmes Bowen, 95 of Norwood

Dorothy Holmes Bowen died peacefully on May 5, 2014, at the age of 95, with her family at her bedside.  

She was the very loving wife of the late Earl K. Bowen, a long-time professor of mathematics and statistics at Babson College, who had been her sweetheart since high school. Dorothy is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Steven H. Bowen and Susan Stein of Arlington, Massachusetts, and by her daughter, Pamela B. Jewell, of Scotia, New York. She is also survived by her grandson James S. Jewell, and his wife, Holly Jewell, and their children, Daniel and Allison, of Arlington, Virginia; her grandson Keith B. Jewell, and his wife, Jennifer Fera, and their children Cadence and Ethan, of Scotia, New York; and her grandson John T. Jewell, and his wife, Laura Jewell, and their children, Benjamin and Madelyn, of Glenville, New York, and by many nephews and a niece. She is also survived by her dear friends, John and Kathy Healey, of Norwood, Massachusetts.  

Dorothy was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, the daughter of the late George and Amy Holmes, and was the youngest child of the family.  Until her passing, she had been the last surviving member of the older generation of the Holmes and Bowen families. Dorothy was the glue that held the extended family together over the years, staying in touch with all the relatives; her husband nicknamed her “Information Central.”  

Dorothy was an active member of the Parent Teacher Association when her children attended the Norwood public schools, and provided typing and editorial help on the textbooks that her husband wrote.  

Dorothy and her husband traveled widely, including several countries in Europe, the Caribbean islands, Hawaii, and also to China.  

Until her recent final illness, Dorothy had maintained her own household, in the same home in Norwood, Massachusetts, where she had resided since 1945, doing her own cooking and cleaning and shopping, and she went regularly to the Norwood Senior Center for exercise classes, where her warmth, empathy and cheerfulness earned her many friends.  

Dorothy’s funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10 in the Gillooly Funeral Home, 126 Walpole St. (Rte. 1A) Norwood, followed by interment at Knollwood Memorial Park in Canton.  

Visiting hours are from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, in the funeral home. Relatives and friends are kindly invited.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dorothy Bowen’s memory to the Union Congregational Church, 55 Rhoades Avenue, E. Walpole, MA 02032.