Surrounded by his beloved family and friends, Dennis Bowerman passed away peacefully at his home in Shelton, Washington, on Wednesday, February 11.

Dennis was born in Seattle, Washington, on August 20, 1954.

He served as an Army Ranger and Washington National Guardsman, including doing tours in both Iraq wars and being stationed in Germany. He loved the military more than anything and was often heard to say, “I’d do it again, if they’d let me.”

Dennis enjoyed playing and watching sports and was a three-sports athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at Mount Tahoma High School in Maple Valley, WA. After being honorably discharged from the Army, Dennis played football one season for the University of Idaho Vandals. He enjoyed umpiring baseball and reached the D1 college level and also umpired a few AAA games. He was also a high school football referee and loved playing softball.

Dennis married Pam, the love of his life, in 2006 in the San Juan Islands, one of his favorite places on earth. He and Pam vacationed there so frequently that the locals thought they lived there. He spent the last twenty years of his life on a small horse farm in Shelton, where he tended his roses and mowed his lawn in perfect straight lines. Prior to marrying Pam, he lived in Pullman for several years and worked at WSU in maintenance, along with other places, but he always returned to Western Washington, his true home. He retired from JBLM as a plumber in 2016.

He was an avid Seahawks, Mariners, and Cougars fan, and had season tickets to the Seattle Kraken.

Dennis was always on the go, whether it was singing Karaoke, travelling, RVing, or playing on a pool team. With his wife, he relished their frequent adventures within the beautiful state of Washington, on cruises, and flying to other parts of the country. When Pam was showing horses, you could find him sitting a bale of hay having a beer or near the arena pretending to be a German riding instructor, as he had a great German accent. Dennis will always be remembered for his kindness and his sense of humor, along with his funny sayings and jokes.

He was a member of the VFW, American Legion, and 40 & 8, where he served as chaplin and Chef de Tron.

Dennis is survived by his wife Pam, his sons Tyler Carson and Brandon Koch, his grandchildren, Xavier, Naomi, McKenna, Leigha, and Alivia, and his two twin sisters, Diane and Debbie.

Donations in Dennis’s memory should be made to Wounded Warriors or the VFW.

Dennis’s Celebration of Life will be held on March 14 at 1 pm at the Shelton Yacht Club.