Gordon C. Fowler

Gordon C. Fowler of St. Joseph, MI passed away at Hanson Hospice Center on Thursday, March 9, 2017, at the age of 87. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on April 1, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI.  Friends may visit with the family beginning at 1:00 p.m. until the time of the service.  A reception with light refreshments will immediately follow the Celebration of Life Service.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Southwest Michigan Humane Society in Benton Harbor, MI, Leader Dogs for the Blind located in Rochester, MI, or donor’s choice.  Those wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Gordon was born on October 28, 1929 in Evanston, IL to Gordon C. Fowler Sr. & Kathryn Taylor Fowler.  He attended Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, graduating in 1951 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.  A quiet patriot, he was proud to join the United States’ Army upon graduation–going on to serve for two years during the Korean War.  After returning to the States, he began working at International Harvester as a Test Engineer.  On September 17, 1955, he married Meredith Barr in Highland Park, IL and they moved to Niles, MI to build their life together. This change in location saw Gordon leave International Harvester and become an engineer for Clark Equipment, where he worked for over 30 years, retiring in 1990.  Yet, his interests in all things technical never waned.  For many years following, he delivered technical papers to AUSA and SAE.  Retirement brought an engineer’s perspective to the age old question of “How can we have more fun?” He retained his mind and his sense of humor until the end, for which his family is grateful.  So raise a glass and/or say a prayer for a good man who did it right.  He would consider either action a “good move” and urges his friends and family to remember the good times. He is survived by his wife, Meredith; children, Christopher (Patricia) Fowler of South Bend, IN, James (Sharon) Fowler of Seattle, WA, Thomas (Sandra) Fowler of St. Joseph, MI, and Scott (Loma) Fowler of Watervliet, MI.  He is also survived by his grandchildren, Gordon W. Fowler of South Bend, IN, Kathryn J. Fowler of Austin, TX, Emma K. Fowler and Margaret J. Fowler of St. Joseph, MI, Elena R. Fowler and Nicholas L. Fowler of Seattle, WA.  He was preceded in death by his parents.