Obituary for Fairfield Selectman Ralph A. Bowley

The following obituary for Fairfield Selectman Ralph A. Bowley appeared today on the Web site of Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield:

Ralph Ambry Bowley, selectman of the Town of Fairfield, passed away peacefully at the Carolton hospital, surrounded by his loving family, on Saturday, April 10, after a struggle with cancer.

Pre-deceased by his son, Christopher Martin Bowley, he is survived by his wife, Deborah Boyle Bowley, his daughter Gillian Bowley and her husband Brian Cavagnolo of San Francisco, his daughter Shannon Patricia Bowley of Black Rock, as well as by his sister Patricia Bowley Knab of Sarver, Pennsylvania, his brother Raymond Bowley, Jr. and his wife Judy of Charlotte, North Carolina, his brother Richard Bowley of Frankfurt, Kentucky, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Ralph was born October 22, 1943 in Boston, Massachusetts, to the late Raymond Bowley and Edith Tucker Bowley. A certified real estate appraiser who held the prestigious SRA designation, he served in the past as a member and chairman of the Fairfield Zoning Board of Appeals, as president of the Fairfield Board of Realtors, as chairman of the Fairfield YMCA, as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Fairfield, and as a deacon and elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield.

A graduate of Belknap College of New Hampshire with a B.A. in history, Bowley was also an Army veteran, serving as an artillery/survey officer from 1966 to 1969. From 1975 to 1981, he was president of the Eagle Agency; from 1982 to 1988, he was president of Bowley Appraisal Company; from 1988 to 2006, he was president of Bowley Moore Appraisal Centre, Inc. He also served as a director of the Connecticut Board of Realtors and the Fairfield Real Estate School and was an instructor in the Continuing Education program of Fairfield University. He was an avid golfer and a section hiker of the Appalachian Trail.

A former coach of youth sports at Wakeman Boys and Girls Club and for the Fairfield Recreation Department, he was also a frequent volunteer at the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

A funeral service will be held Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 10 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield, 2475 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield, with the Rev. Dr. Edward F. Duffy officiating. Interment will be private.

Friends may call Wednesday from 3 to 9 p.m. in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund at the First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield. To sign an online guest register, please visit www.SpearMillerFuneralHome.com