Obituary of John Carpenter Bowen

John Carpenter Bowen Sr., age 87, of Huntingdon Valley, died peacefully on April 14, 2015. He was the devoted husband of the late Nancy Ahl Bowen and was the son of the late Charles and Beatrice Bowen. John was born in Bristol, PA, and later moved to Moorestown, NJ with his parents and brother, Bob. He was a Boy Scout, achieving the rank of Life Scout and was elected to the Order of the Arrow Brotherhood by members of his troop. He is an alumnus of Valley Forge Military Academy and graduated in 1950 from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. At Valley Forge and Penn, he ran track and played the double bell euphonium in the band. After spending a few years in sales, he formed Pressure Products Industries, which was later purchased by Flowserve. During this time, he served our country as a Captain in the Army Reserves. He held several positions at Ametek, including leading the solar power division of the company while remaining active in the industry, serving as Chairman for the Research Committee on Pressure Technology for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In retirement, John became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania where he taught the Mechanical Engineering Design Projects for the Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) department. In John's class, students had the opportunity to utilize fundamental course knowledge for the solution of advanced engineering problems. John leveraged decades of industry contacts and experience to create challenging projects such as Row Tank optimization for the Penn Crew team, the Franklin Institute exhibit on durability, NASCAR suspension and a minimally invasive surgery tool. In addition to many family activities, John was an avid bridge player and golfer at Huntingdon Valley Country Club. At HVCC, he served on the Golf Committee, was a regular participant in the Wayfair Club and was selected to be the club Historian for several years. John is survived by his loving children, Holly Paczewski, Susan McKay, John Bowen Jr., his daughter in law, Annemarie Bowen, as well as his eight grandchildren: Lori, Lisa, Chris, Daniel, Julia, Jack, Will and Matthew. One brother, Robert Bowen, married to Janet Bowen, of Jobstown, NJ, also survives him. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at Abington Presbyterian Church located at 1082 Old York Rd. (at Susquehanna Road), Abington, PA, where relatives and friends will be received from 10:00 AM until the time of the service. A reception at Huntingdon Valley Country Club will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the American Heart Association via online https://donatenow.heart.org/ or via mail at American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association PO Box 15120 Chicago, IL 60693.