HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 754 Offered January 16, 2007 Celebrating the life of Ralph Keister Bowles. ---------- Patrons-- Fralin, Griffith, Putney and Ware, O.; Senator: Edwards ----------

WHEREAS, Ralph Keister Bowles of Roanoke, a respected citizen and dedicated community member, died on January 4, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles was born in Kimball, West Virginia, and was a graduate of William Fleming High School and the American Institute of Baking in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles and his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth Thomas Bowles, owned and operated Bowles Bake Shop for 38 years; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles, a member of the Marine Reserves for three and a half years before joining the Army, was a World War II veteran who served with the 106th Infantry Division, 422nd Regiment, Cannon Company as a radio operator and a forward observer; and

WHEREAS, in December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Ralph Bowles was wounded and taken prisoner of war before being liberated in April 1945; and

WHEREAS, a recipient of the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster, Ralph Bowles was a member of several military organizations, including the Roanoke Valley Chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War, American Legion Post #68, Disabled American Veterans, Amvets, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the 106th Infantry Association; and

WHEREAS, a member of the Williamson Road Masonic Lodge #63, Ralph Bowles was honored last year with a 50-year membership pin with the Kazim Temple of the Shrine; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles had 58 years of perfect attendance with the Williamson Road Lions Club, volunteered regularly at the Lions Recycling Center, and was honored as a Melvin Jones Fellow of the Lions Club; and

WHEREAS, always concerned with the well-being of his fellow citizens, Ralph Bowles was a faithful member of Huntington Court United Methodist Church and supported the church's many missions in the community; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Bowles will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his devoted wife, Elizabeth, their four children, nine grandchildren, and many other family and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the passing of a fine Virginian, Ralph Keister Bowles; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Ralph Keister Bowles as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.