Obituary: Louisa Bale Bowles

Louisa Bale Bowles

NOTE:  As I mentioned in my previous post, Bowles, Bales and Jensens, this obituary states that her husband, Thomas Edward Bowles, died in 1915.  He, in fact, did not die until 1942, but Louisa separated from him and moved from Nephi, Utah, where they were living, to live with her children and family in Idaho, and they divorced in 1922.  Because Thomas Edward had been excommunicated from the church around the same time that she moved, in her mind she probably felt that he was dead.  Divorce was totally frowned upon back then, and I think the family supported the story that Thomas Edward died in 1915 to save their mother from ridicule and gossip, for evidence suggests that they knew he was not dead. 

Louisa B. Bowles Funeral Held 

[No photo accompanied obituary] 

Louisa Bale Bowles, 84, died Friday morning at the home of her son, S. C. Bowles of Rigby, after a long illness. Mrs. Bowles had been an invalid for the past 13 years and bedfast for the past month.

Louisa Bale was born September 28, 1864, in Whitwick, England, the daughter of Richard and Sarah Miller Bowles. The family soon came to America and settled at Nephi, Utah. She married Thomas Bowles who died in 1915, and the family moved to Rigby in 1918, and bought a residence in the southwest part of the city.

Neighbors and friends will remember Mrs. Bowles with affection for her kindliness and charity.

Surviving are four sons and two daughters: W. T. Bowles, S. C. Bowles, Rigby, A. R. Bowles, Nephi, Utah, and A. L. Bowles, Salt Lake City; Mrs. Retta Crowther, Tule Lake, Calif., and Mrs. Vivian Field, Rigby; 47 grandchildren, 72 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild, making a total posterity of 126. Surviving brothers and sisters are Clifford Bale, Payson, Utah; Thomas Bale, Nephi, Utah; Mrs. Mary E. Goble, and Mrs. Sadie Ca-zier of Nephi, Utah.

Funeral services were conducted Tuesday afternoon from the Eckersell funeral home with Bishop Jesse Call officiating.

Opening song was "Rock of Ages" sung by the Rigby Stake quartet; invocation, Bishop Horace L. Baird; speaker, Wm. J. Sperry; vocal solo, "Face to Face," by Thomas Andrus.

The second speaker was President Thomas D. Reese; vocal solo, Thomas Andrus, "When I Take My Vacation in Heaven," and the closing speaker was Richard R. Sudweeks. The closing song, from the Rigby Stake Quartet was "Not Dead, but Sleepeth." The benediction was by Bishop Elgin R. Garrett.

Burial was in Rigby Pioneer Cemetery with dedication of the grave by S. C. Bowles.

Pallbearers were: Wilford Bowles, Melvin Bowles, Lyman Bowles, Clifford J. Bowles, J. L. Bowles, and Allen A. Bowles.

Flowers were under direction of Rigby Third Ward Relief Society.

The Rigby Star, Mar 10, 1949

Buried in Rigby Pioneer Cemetery, Idaho.  Photo courtesy Find A Grave online.