Penny Bowen died Feb. 24, 2007, at her Coupeville home overlooking Penn Cove, her beloved golden retriever, Jenny, by her side. This gallant lady had successfully battled inflammatory breast cancer for nearly seven years — a truly remarkable achievement considering the virulent nature of this insidious disease.
Whidbey Island was nearly as dear to her as her native Virginia. Soon after her arrival in 1992 she became active in many of the island’s environmental programs: Master Gardeners, Admiralty Head Lighthouse, the Orca Network, and especially the WSU Beach Watchers program. Comprised of over 100 volunteers, the group monitors the environmental health of Whidbey Island.
Penny was president of Beach Watchers when the group took on the monumental project of skeletonizing the body of a 33-foot gray whale which washed ashore on the island’s southwest coast in 1998. Now on display at the Coupeville Wharf, the fully articulated skeleton with all baleen plates in place is perhaps the finest display of this species in the Unites States. Upon completion in 2000, Beach Watchers named the great creature “Rosie” and dedicated it to Penny by affixing a shining copper penny to the top of the whale’s head.
When her husband and former museum director Robert Bowen founded a natural history travel program in 1990, named “Museums/USA: Worldwide Educational Expeditions,” she gleefully joined nearly every expedition, contributing greatly to each one’s success. Over a 10-year period she visited 22 countries from Iceland to Australia. Her favorite region by far was East Africa, and especially the Serengeti Plain. She not only captured many of these experiences on film, she also extended warm feelings of affection and friendship to the gracious hosts of each nation.
Penny was born in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 19, 1940, the daughter of United States Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., and Josephine Rucker Powell. She graduated from St. Catherine’s School and Sweet Briar College, both in Virginia, and received a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Harvard University. After teaching elementary school in Boston, Penny moved to London, England and Brussels, Belgium, for several years with her former husband. Upon returning to Richmond, she was active in the Junior League and served as president of the Richmond Chapter of Planned Parenthood. Deeply involved in current affairs, she also worked in the Richmond Bureau of the Washington Post. For five years Penny served as director of the volunteer program at the Science Museum of Virginia, followed by a staff appointment to the Valentine Museum, which focuses on Richmond’s history.
Her favorite charities, which she vigorously supported over the years, mirrored her interests: The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Planned Parenthood, Public Radio and Television, Heifer International, Colonial Williamsburg, Beach Watchers, and a host of others.
Many new acquaintances and strong friendships were formed during the years of her treatment at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Whidbey General Hospital, and Whidbey Island Internal Medicine. The skill and compassion of the trained professionals involved continuously amazed and pleased her from the first day to the last day.
Throughout treatment Penny carried on with courage and determination, frequently visiting her daughter and family in San Francisco, and making annual trips to Hawaii’s Kona coast. A voracious reader all her life, she kept the library “in business” by consuming well over 100 books a year, much of the time while listening to arias by her favorite soprano, Kiri Te Kanawa. Naturally she was dedicated to her magnificent flower garden, and reveled in walking Whidbey Island’s dramatic beaches — each different, each holding marvelous treasures changed twice daily by the tides.
Penny is survived by her husband Robert Neal Bowen of Coupeville; her daughter Lycia Carmody Fried of San Francisco; her son Nathaniel Chase Carmody of Falls Church, Va.; her step-son, Thomas Heinrich Bowen of Greenwich, Conn.; her step-daughter, Karen Bowen Peterson of Cashmere, Wash.; and 14 grandchildren.
She is also survived by her sisters, Josephine Powell Smith of Houston, Texas, and Molly Powell Sumner of Salt Lake City, Utah; as well as her brother Lewis F. Powell III of Richmond, Va.
Memorial gatherings celebrating Penny’s life are planned for Whidbey Island and Richmond, dates to be announced.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Beach Watchers, P.O. Box 1707, Coupeville WA 98239, or to the charity of one’s choice.
Penny Bowen will be deeply and lovingly missed by all who had the exceptional privilege of knowing her. “Surely, no celestial star ever shone more brightly.”
