Russell Vinton Bowring
Russell Vinton Bowring, 92, died peacefully on April 17, 2023 with his son and daughter by his side. Russell, who was known as “Russ” to friends and family, passed away due to respiratory failure caused by pneumonia.
Russ was a gentle giant and loved by all who knew him. He will be remembered as forever youthful, fun loving and loyal to all he loved. He was best known as an avid hunter, BBQ master, golf enthusiast, wisdom giver, and Uncle Sam on the 4th of July. His unconditional love for his family and friends will be forever missed.
Russ was born in Pasadena, CA on February 17, 1931 to Beatrice Boyd Peterson and Vinton Russell Bowring. He graduated from Reno High School in 1949 and attended the University of Nevada, Reno. He received his Master’s degree from the Pacific Coast Banking School in 1972.
Russ was a proud Marine Corps Fighter Pilot, earning his wings of gold in 1955. His first duty assignment was at Kaneohe MCAS in Hawaii with the Red Devils of VMF 232. Talk about rough duty! In March of 1956, the squadron set a new Navy-Marine jet record by flying 2558 hours and recording 1571 accident-free sorties. Russ’s active duty service concluded in 1960 with 1415 hours of single-engine fighter time under his belt. He changed course when his service took him to New Orleans, where he would soon meet the love of his life.
Russ met a tall, blond, green-eyed Stewardess, Rosemarie (Rory) Buhmann, in 1959 in New Orleans, Louisiana when he was transferred to MARDT New Orleans at Alvin Callender Field with the Marines and she worked for Capitol Airlines. In 1960 he married Rory in Huntsville, Alabama and they were married for 63 glorious years. They built their life in Reno, Nevada and raised two wonderful children, a son and a daughter. Once their children were grown, he built their dream home in Graeagle, California and enjoyed endless days in the Sierra Nevada Mountains playing golf and enjoying life. In their lives, Russ and Rory set a close-to-perfect example for their family and friends of what marriage is supposed to be. Their love lasts eternal as they joined each other only 13 days apart in the afterlife.
After his service as a Marine, Russ was hired by Eastern Airlines and was scheduled to report in Miami, but it was not to be. While waiting to be called, he and his new bride went to his home in Reno, Nevada to visit his mother. While there, she suffered a stroke and they stayed to care for her. As a result, instead of becoming an airline pilot he joined Nevada National Bank and became a banker. He spent 20 years with the bank and retired as Executive Vice President heading the Real Estate Division when the bank was sold to Wells Fargo. Knowing he was too young to retire, he founded InterMountain Mortgage Company which he eventually sold to TDM Mortgage Company. He subsequently founded Realty Construction Management Company (RCM) and operated that until the spring of 2000.
Russ is preceded in death by his loving wife, Rosemarie Bowring, and his parents Vinton and Beatrice Bowring. He is survived by his children Erik Bowring (Lisa) and Brenda Barry (John) as well as six amazing grandchildren of whom he was infinitely proud: Aaron Bowring, Ryan Gray, Tanner Bowring, Megan Gray, Amelia Bowring and Caroline (Carly) Gray.
A memorial service will be held in celebration of both his life and his devoted wife, Rory Bowring on May 20, 2023 at the Graeagle Community Church (150 Johnsville Rd., Graeagle, CA 96103). A celebration will immediately follow at Longboards at the Plumas Pines Golf Resort. In lieu of flowers, those that loved Russ may donate to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://woundedwarriorproject.org/.