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- [S123] Bridges Funeral Home, (http://www.bridgesfuneralhome.com), 20 Sep 2010.
Dr. Gerald Lynn Fox obituary
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 1 May 2002.
BOWER , BENJAMIN DENTON - age 63, of the Topside Community, lost a valiant struggle with cancer and passed from this life on Monday, April 29, 2002. Born December 28, 1938, he was proudly a lifelong resident of South Knoxville. He was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin Alleman and Lillian Denton Bower . Benjamin D. Bower is survived by his wife, Janet Smith Bower ; daughters and sons-in-law, Regina and Jim Murray, April and Stephen Harris, and Susan and Christian Cain; grandchildren, Matthew and John Murray, Sommerville and Bower Harris, and Thor and Sally Cain, all of Knoxville; sisters and brothers-in-law, Jim and Rosalind B. Arnold of LaFollette, and John and Jennifer B. Moore of Stearns, Ky.; aunt, Nan Denton Ailor; brothers and sisters-in-law, Ann and John Faulkner, Ellen and Jerry Fox, Rhea and Brenda Smith, and Sandy and Carolyn Smith, all of Knoxville, and former wife and the mother of his children, Donna K. Green of Knoxville. He also leaves many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews. Ben grew up on the family farm, next to Bower Field on Chapman Hwy. He graduated from Tennessee Military Institute and studied engineering at the University of Tennessee before joining his father in the family business, Camel Manufacturing Company, which he became President of in 1975. Camel, founded in 1919 by B. A. Bower , began as an army surplus store that grew into an international manufacturer and seller of canvas products, and eventually evolved into the defense contracting company that it is today. American soldiers have found shelter in Camel tents from World War II through Viet Nam and Desert Storm, and will sleep in them tonight in Afghanistan. Ben was always on the move, visiting over 90 countries, and traveled regularly to China, Korea, and Japan on business trips until his retirement in 1995. He was justifiably proud of his life's work. Like his father, who learned to fly in World War I, Ben was an accomplished pilot who owned several airplanes and loved to fly. He was also an avid golfer who loved to play with family and friends, and was quick to point out that he beat two of his sons-in-law and his grandson at their last match in Hilton Head this past summer in spite of his chemotherapy treatments. He was a former member of Holston Hills Country Club, Green Meadow Country Club, and the Downtown YMCA. Ben loved and was loved by his family, and involved himself in the lives of each of his six precious grandchildren, to whom he was "Papaw." Though his life was cut short by illness, he would be the first to tell you how interesting and satisfying his life was. Ben and Janet traveled the world together, loved to read and party and be with their many friends, and were active patrons of Knoxville's Symphony, Opera, Museum of Art, and the Arts Council. He leaves behind many beloved friends, who are saddened by his absence, but strengthened by his example of courage as he stubbornly and bravely fought his illness to the end. The family would like to recognize and thank the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff at Baptist Hospital who everyday epitomize the word compassion. He has chosen to bequeath his remains to aid science in the study of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Ben was a member of Second Presbyterian Church, where a Service of Celebration and Witness to the Resurrection in gratitude to the Almighty God for the life of Benjamin D. Bower will be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2002, at 5:00 p.m. officiated by Dr. Arnold Lovell and Rev. Chris Leonard. The family will receive friends in the Church's Fellowship Hall immediately following the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Second Presbyterian Church, 2829 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919.
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1938 - 2002 (63 years)
, d. 5 Aug 1981, Knox County, Tennessee