In Memory of
John Harvey Bowne
April 4, 1941 – March 11, 2024
It is with deep sadness that the family of John (Jack) H. Bowne of Avon, CT announces his unexpected passing at the age of 82. He was born in Flushing, New York to the late Harvey Swain Bowne and Alice (McGowan) Bowne.
Jack was proud to be a direct 14th-generation descendant of early Flushing settler, John Bowne who, along with his wife, Hannah Feake, invited Quakers to gather in his home for worship in defiance of Governor Peter Stuyvesant’s edict forbidding the practice of religions other than the Dutch Reformed Church. After his arrest and deportation back to England, Bowne’s courageous arguments for liberty of conscience and his stance on the right to assembly and freedom of speech ultimately prevailed. He returned to the colonies where these ideas became the foundational ideas in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. The John Bowne House, his 1661 homestead, still stands on Bowne Street as a shrine to religious freedom and is recognized as a stop on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Just a few weeks ago, Jack was thrilled to have made a phone connection with Bowne House executive director Elise Helmers and museum educator Emily Vieyra-Haley. He was moved and gratified by their friendly conversation about the recent WNET (PBS) documentary production of Treasures of New York: Bowne House.
In appreciation of the staff’s dedication to preserving both the Bowne House and the history of our country’s deeply held principles of freedom and human rights, we thank you for making a memorial donation in Jack’s name.
OR Donate by Check: Please make your check payable to “The Bowne House Historical Society” and mail to “Bowne House, 37-01 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY 11354”
About Jack Bowne:
Born at Flushing Hospital, Jack spent his early years in College Point and Bayside, Queens with a short residence in Crown Point, NY. His family moved to New Rochelle, NY where he graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1959. He began his career at The Technical Materiel Corporation in Mamaroneck, NY — a worldwide supplier of electronic communications equipment. In 1968 he joined Amacoil Machinery, Inc. of New Rochelle where he helped design the company’s line of granulator machinery for plastics recycling. That company was eventually sold to Hosokawa Polymer Systems in Berlin, CT from which Jack retired in 2012 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. His position allowed him to travel nationwide and to six of the seven continents. Many of the people he met during his 43-year career became lifelong, treasured friends.
Jack was enamored with all ‘things that go’ and was a talented model maker. As a child, he crafted elaborate, detailed wooden buildings and HO and O-gage train layouts. His collection of G-scale engines and cars skirted many a Christmas tree, delighting his grandchildren. He was a member of the Big Train Operators Club. He was especially proud of his first car, a 1953 baby blue Lincoln Continental convertible, and his 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 which saw action at the Dover Drag Strip. As a teen, he worked as a launch pilot for Whitestone Marine in New York and later enjoyed his own small Chris Craft outboard on Long Island Sound. Many wooden boat models line the walls of his workshop. He was a member of the American Model Yachting Assn. In retirement, Jack worked with a talented group of individuals who built the replica of the 1903 Wright Brothers aircraft that hangs in the Avon (CT) Public Library.
In 1964 he married his life’s love, Anne Strittmatter of Eastchester, NY. He designed and built their first home in Eastchester where they lived for 15 years before moving to Avon, CT in 1982.
Jack was predeceased by his parents; an infant granddaughter, Rebecca Jean Bowne; his sister-in-law, Evelyn Strittmatter Ferrara, her husband, Dominick of Monroe, CT and his brother-in-law, John Strittmatter. He is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 59 years, Anne; his beloved children and their spouses: Elizabeth and Richard Messina of Avon, CT, John and Barbe Bowne of Monticello, KY, and Laura and Richard Shellman of Tariffville, CT. The pride and joy of his life were his grandchildren: Matthew, Olivia, and Michael Messina, and Richard and Anna Shellman. He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Patricia Strittmatter, of Marco Island, FL, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Jack was a kind, curious, meticulous, and multi-talented man with a hearty laugh who loved his family foremost and made friends easily. He will be missed and fondly remembered. As per his wishes, there will be no calling hours. His ashes will be laid to rest during a Celebration of Life at a later date.
If you so desire, a contribution in his memory can be made to support the preservation and educational mission of his ancestral home in Flushing, NY.
OR Donate by Check: Please make your check payable to “The Bowne House Historical Society” and mail to “Bowne House, 37-01 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY 11354”