Obituary of Vernie Lawrence Bowen

BOWEN, Vernie Lawrence Our loving husband, father, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather, better known as Poppy, Vernie Bowen of Arichat, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish on September 25, 2023, at the age of 81. Born May 16, 1942, in Arichat, Vernie was the son of the late Hilary and Kathleen (Latimer) Bowen. If you sat with Vernie for an afternoon, your belly would be sore from laughter from his quick wit and stories of his early days growing up in the Arichat Court House. Being the son of the jail keeper and cook came with its perks when going to jail for terrorizing the town with his many friends meant he was just being “brought home”. Vernie was a carpenter for his entire career building and repairing many homes from Sydney to Arichat. After retirement, he and his wife Catherine loved to spend their summers camping at Whiddens or watching their grandkids enjoy their pool. The highlight of his more recent days was watching the growth of his first great-grandchild, his “little man”. Dad is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Catherine Georgina (Joyce), Arichat; daughters Brenda Bowen, Arichat, Debbie (Blaise) Sampson, St. Peter’s, and Kim (Marcel) Heudes, Petit de Grat; son Vernon (Nicole), Halifax, son-in-law Craig Benoit, Arichat; grandchildren Wayne (Kaysha), St. Peter’s, Brittany (Jordan), Arichat, Tyler (Jennifer), Dartmouth, Hillary (Nick), Halifax; and great-grandson William David, Arichat; sister Marie DeWolf, Arichat, sisters-in-law Susan, Jeanne, Barbara, Irene (Peter), Matilda (Robert). He is also survived by many neices and nephews. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his cherished daughter Beverly, brother George, and brothers-in-law Johnny, Blaise, Jerry, and Bobby. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Laurie MacNeil for his many years of care, to the local home care workers who made his mornings brighter, and to the palliative care workers at St. Martha’s for their compassionate care in his final days. Please consider a donation to St. Anne’s Community & Nursing Care Center or St. Martha’s Palliative Care Society. Cremation has taken place. There will be no visitation. A small family graveside service will be held in St. John Anglican Cemetery in Arichat on October 21st at 11am with Rev. John DeCoste officiating. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to C.H. Boudreau Funeral Home Ltd., Arichat. Tributes, words of comfort, and memories of Vernie may be shared with the family at www.chboudreau.com