Bowers, Thomas P. (1985-2007)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2007 Feb 26 p. 8

Birth date: 1985

text of obituary:

THOMAS P. BOWERS

Thomas P. Bowers, 22, an Eastern Mennonite University student from Harrisonburg, Va., died Feb. 14, 2007, at Rockingham Memorial Hospital of complications from Duchennes disease (childhood muscular dystrophy).

He was a junior honors student at EMU, majoring in economics with minors in accounting and history. He was a 2003 honors graduate of Harrisonburg High School.

“Thomas was a strong, diligent student. He kept on going even when he was tired. He was a strong person who wanted to learn all he could,” said Joshua Akers, an EMU senior computer science major from Christiansburg. “You couldn’t tell from looking at his work that he was dealing with physical limitations.” Akers assisted Bowers in the Academic Support Center with a voice recognition computer program that allowed him to dictate e-mails and do course assignments.

He is survived by his parents, Mark and Deborah Bowers of Harrisonburg; a brother, John P. Bowers; a paternal grandmother, maternal grandparents, two aunts, one uncle and nine cousins.

The funeral was held at Main Street United Methodist Church, Petersburg, W.Va., with burial at Cherry Hill Cemetary, Upper Tract, W.Va.