Thomas Mathias “Tom” Bowman

Age 71 of Indianapolis, stopped suffering and found peace on October 25, 2016 at 2:49 pm surrounded by his loving family.

Tom was born in Indianapolis, IN on November 2, 1944 to his parents, Donald Mathias and Wava Jean (Kyler) Bowman. He grew up in Noblesville, IN and following high school, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Rose Polytechnic Institute (currently Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology). He loved technology, he was always striving to understand it perfectly. Tom was a dedicated and loyal employee, working in the same building his entire career as an electrical engineer. He retired from the government in 1997 then continued working this time for Raytheon, retiring from there in 1999.

He was a very dignified man, always wanting to be viewed as helpful and rational to those around him. He enjoyed watching television shows with long drawn out plots, and watching the actors solve seemingly insurmountable obstacles. He was also fascinated by regency romance novels because the contrast between the rules of society and the actions of its people helped him understand the actions of those people around him.
While Tom wasn't playing with technology or appreciating the variety of the people around him, he would spend hours contemplating the basics of the human condition. Zen Buddhism was an addition to his Unitarian Universalist (UU) beliefs and he was a firm believer that all suffering was due to the inability to let go.

Tom was also a loving man. He never refused hugs or kisses, knowing that touch is a healing comfort that's very easy to share. He was a man who chose to fight his cancer simply because his family wasn't yet ready to let go. After announcing his decision for hospice care, he was able to spend the next week full of reminiscing and nostalgia as family and friends showed up to talk about the past and reassure him that plans were in place so he could find peace.

He will be lovingly missed by his wife of 43 years, Sandra Kay (Shoot) Bowman, whom he married on January 7, 1973; his children: Jeremy Bowman (Ping Xu), Caitlin Bowman and Leah Bowman; brother, Gary Bowman (Michelle); his honorary god-daughter, Keanna Wilson and honorary god-granddaughter, Jazlyn Wilson. He was preceded in death by his parents and an honorary god-grandson, Jaylen Wilson.