Marilyn Jo Matthews Bowman passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 29, 2024, at age 89.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, Billy Charles Bowman, whom she adored to the very end.  She is survived by her brother Charles W. Matthews, Jr. (wife Karen), and three sons, Clay Bowman (wife Brenda), Cary Bowman (wife Heather) and Chris Bowman (wife Clara).  She is also survived by seven grandsons, I. Alex Bowman, Matthew Bowman, Connor Bowman, Keller Bowman, John Bowman, Benjamin Bowman, and Charles Bowman; one granddaughter, Caleigh Bowman; two great-granddaughters, Vivian Bowman and Sylvia Bowman, and another great-granddaughter on the way; and one great-grandson, Karson Bowman.

Marilyn Jo was born July 16, 1934, in Houston, Texas, to parents Charles Wilburn Matthews and Vera Louise Matthews.  She marched with the drum corps at Davis High School, then attended Baylor University.  She would say that the best thing that ever happened to her was meeting her future husband, Charley Bowman, at Houston's First Baptist Church in 1954.  He was the love of her life and the source of happiness and memories that sustained her through the end of her days.

From her earliest memories, she knew Jesus as her Lord.  She wanted people to know that the church had been her extended family "from the cradle to the grave."  It was where she made teen-age friends, met her husband, and raised her children.  She lived a life devoted to serving her family and church.

In childhood, she belonged to the Order of the Rainbow Girls.  In later years, as a volunteer with the Society of Saint Stephen and through her work with Gulf Coast Legal Services, she assisted underprivileged and migrant families in the Houston area gain access to food support and financial and legal assistance.  But she made it her particular mission to impress upon each of her children and grandchildren the gift of reverence and appreciation for scripture that was the guiding compass in her life.

In lieu of flowers, it was Marilyn's wish that donations be made to a favorite charity or church of your choice.