Patricia Dianne Bowen

Patricia Dianne Bowen (she often went by "Dianne") went to heaven at age 83 on December 1, 2022 at Amoroso Wellness of York after fighting a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. She is preceded by her husband Robert Geryl Bowen who passed on to glory on December 12, 2012 and by her older brother Paul Byrne. Patricia is survived by her son Robert Bowen and his wife Assegedech Bowen and their daughter Hannah Bowen; by her daughter Deborah Plantinga and her son Brenton Harrison and his wife Kristin; by her deceased brother Paul's wife Angela and their 5 children; by her younger brother Peter Byrne, and by numerous nieces and nephews on her husband's side including her niece Claudia Smith. Patricia is also survived by many of her closest friends including April Wright, Lynn Emery, and Mary Treffinger.

Patricia was born on December 31, 1938 at Garfield Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. to Paul Patrick Byrne and Stella Irene Rice Byrne. She lived in Hawaii for a time, but spent most of her childhood growing up in Brookfield, Massachusetts.

Patricia was an avid and talented equestrian with a lifelong passion for horse riding. Her childhood horse was named Thunder and her brother Peter's horse was Lightning. But in this case Thunder was faster than Lightning, and faster than any other horse in the area for that matter. Patricia would recall racing in the flatland of Brookfield. She said some other horses could initially sprint faster than Thunder but then she "would let the reins out" and no other horse could stay ahead after a mile. She also trained Thunder to be a very skilled horse with both his footwork and jumping as well.

Patricia competed in equestrian competitions winning many ribbons and trophies. When engaging in a competition far away, like 100 miles, they did not have a horse trailer or even a car big enough to pull one, but her older brother Paul had obtained an old dilapidated Crosley and fixed it up and got it running well enough. So, she would ride Thunder 50 miles and tie him up in a field and Paul would then pick her up in his Crosley and bring her home. Then he would drive her back to Thunder the next day and she would ride the rest of the way to the competition and win ribbons and trophies. Then they would reverse the process for the 2-day trip to get Thunder back home to Brookfield. She even picked a university close enough to home to attend to where she could ride Thunder to a boarding stable near her dorm and keep him there so she could continue to ride even while earning her B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts. Patricia's last horse was named "Smoothie" which she had until her 70s.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, she became the first female computer programmer in the USA programming for the American Mutual Insurance Company. She stopped working outside the home to raise her 2 children and then later began working outside the home again as a high school mathematics instructor in both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Patricia accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior on September 21, 1986. She and her husband Robert were both water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ on February 3, 1991.

Public viewing will be held on Friday, December 9, at 11 am and a Funeral Service will follow at 12 noon at Geiple-Predicce Funeral and Cremation Services, Inc., 53 Main St., Glen Rock, PA 17327. A Burial Ceremony will follow at Susquehanna Memorial Gardens, 250 Chestnut Hill Road, York, PA 17402, where Patricia will be interred next to her husband Robert Geryl Bowen. Pastor Teddy Santos of Baltimore Christian Faith Center will officiate.

All are welcome to come celebrate with us the life of Patricia Dianne Bowen.

To send flowers to the family in memory of Patricia, please visit our floral store. or you may make a donation to Baltimore Christian Faith Center https://baltimorechristianfaithcenter.com/give.html