James Alford Bowman, died peacefully on January 8, 2020 at the age of 90. "Jim" was born in Glendale, California on June 11, 1929 to Alford and Rose (Nelson) Bowman. After graduating from Hoover High School in Glendale, CA, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Midland College in Fremont, Nebraska and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Iowa State University. It was at Midland College that he met the outgoing Marian Payzant from Nebraska. They married in 1951 and moved out to California where Jim had a long career as an aerospace engineer for Rocketdyne. He and Marian lived in the same house in Simi Valley for 47 years before moving to a retirement community in Phoenix, Arizona in 2012. Jim and Marian were married for 67 years until Marian's death in 2018.

As a young boy, Jim and his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii two weeks before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. At 12 years old, he was one of the youngest civilian employees, delivering messages for the military. Jim was a lifelong stamp collector and won many awards for his stamp exhibits. He and Marian enjoyed their travels to stamp exhibitions around the world. They made many friends in their philatelic endeavors and this hobby kept them both busy well into retirement. Besides stamp collecting, Jim was an avid music lover. He had a beautiful tenor voice and would often be asked to sing solos. He and Marian sang in church choirs, another place where they made many friends.

Jim will be remembered for being a wonderful caring husband, father, and grandfather. We will miss his gentle spirit and his funny laugh. He is survived by his daughters Nancy Dimson (Phil) and Karen LaLone (Mark), and granddaughters Macy, Mia, Heather, and Skyler. There will be a private burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, CA. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association.

Source: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/venturacountystar/obituary.aspx?n=james-alford-bowman&pid=195194946&utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ObitMessenger_Results_PowerInbox_0819&utm_content=ObituaryURL&sfmc_id=91579190