Westville Cemetery
Adair County, Oklahoma

Woodrow Wesley Bowles

© Stilwell (OK) Democrat Journal
December 2010
Submitted by: Martha Real

Woodrow Wesley Bowles, lifelong teacher, coach, and school administrator, was born November 4, 1914 to John and Betsy (Sanders) Bowles in Baron, OK. He departed this life December 11, 2010 in his home in Westville, OK at age 96, 1 month and 7 days.

He was fortunate to live his life in the state he so loved, with his high school sweetheart for 73 years and in the community with friends and relatives he respected and enjoyed. He was also fortunate to have the career he loved being a teacher, coach and school administrator.

He was preceded in death by his parents, whose families settled in Indian Territory before statehood in the Baron, Proctor, and Westville area. Also preceding him in death were three brothers, Riley, Walter, and Sam and one sister, Janetta Caldwell, and an infant brother and sister.

He leaves a very loving family, his wife, Faynell and a daughter, Ann Leinn Bowles Gibson, five nephews, three nieces, many great and great, great nieces and nephews, hundreds of former students whose lives he touched and many dear family friends.

He graduated from the 8th grade at Baron and high school at Westville. He attended college at Northeastern A & M (now NEO) at Miami, OK on a football scholarship. This was during the Great Depression and his only transportation was walking, hitchhiking and riding the freight trains. He finished his degree in education with a major in math, from Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK. He later received a Masters Degree in education administration from the University of Arkansas.

He first taught in rural one room schools in Adair County, first job paying $45 a month. He worked at an ammunition plant and later at Douglas Air Force Base in Oklahoma City as a supervisor. He restarted his career in education at Eufaula, coaching and teaching there for two years. Then a coaching position opened in Westville and he moved back home to teach math and coach football and baseball. Later he became Jr. High Principal and then High School Principal. Teaching, coaching and working with young people was his passion.

He loved participating in sports, football, baseball and swimming when he was young and watching sports when he was older, especially local school activities, OU football and Kansas City Royals baseball. After 39 years in the field of education, he and Faynell, an elementary teacher, retired from the Westville Schools to a cattle ranch outside of town where they enjoyed riding their quarter horses, raising cattle, enjoying the sunsets and traveling in their RV with their dog.

Visitation will be Friday, December 17, 2010 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Hart Funeral Home in Westville. Memorial service and celebration of his life will be Saturday, December 18, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at the Westville High School Auditorium. Memorial contributions can be made to the Woodrow Bowles Westville School Memorial Fund at P.O. Box 311, Westville, OK. 74965. Services and arrangements are by the Hart Funeral Home of Westville. Interment will be at Westville City Cemetery.