Roderick Bowden

Roderick Ernest Bowden, 80, of Dunwoody, GA, passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 31, 2016. Rod was born August 31, 1936 in Newport News, VA, to Joseph Ernest Bowden and Margaret Sullivan Bowden. He graduated from Hampton High School in 1954 and attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) where he graduated in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering. In college he was a member of the Arnold Air Society. Following graduation Rod was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force and served with distinction as a fighter pilot from 1959 to 1966, flying combat missions in the F-100 Super Sabre and F-105 Thunderchief during the Vietnam War. During the war, he was assigned to the 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Captain Roderick Bowden was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1966 and commenced a notable career with multiple companies that included Avon Products, Shaklee Corporation, Arnold Palmer Enterprises and Peachtree Heating and Air. He was an avid golfer and world traveler, and cherished the time he spent at Lake Lanier and on the Chesapeake Bay with family and friends. Throughout his life he remained a dedicated Virginia Tech alumni and a member of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association. Rod was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Margaret Bowden and grand-daughter Danielle Renee DiCiro. He is survived by his wife, Sue of Dunwoody, GA; children, Cmdr. Brian (Jennifer) Bowden, USN (ret) of San Diego, CA, and Michele (COL. Torrey) DiCiro of Camas, WA; grandchildren, Emily and Peter Bowden and Alexandra and Roderick DiCiro; brother, Robert Sterling (Beverly) Bowden of Williamsburg, VA; and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held 27 April, 2017 at 1000 at the Parklawn Funeral Home in Hampton, Virginia.