Lynn Charles Bowers April 9, 1925 - January 5, 2023 Lynn Charles Bowers, aged 97, passed on to heaven on Thursday, January 5, 2023 in Sebring, Florida. He is preceded in death by his wife, Stella. He is survived by three children, Kay (George) Hofacker, Jeff (Jan) Bowers, and Kurt (Kim) Bowers; four grandchildren, Daniel (Sonia) Hofacker, Amy (Cam) DeCaussin, Sara (Justin) Bowers-Schaudt, Lea (Mike Rempalski) Bowers; and five great-grandsons, Hunter, Mason, Marcel, Sam, and Henry. Born on April 9, 1925, Lynn grew up on a farm in Sodus, Michigan (East of Benton Harbor). In 1849, his great-grandfather took a journey in a wagon pulled by oxen to California where he discovered gold, sailed around the horn of South America, and up to the East coast of the United States. Finally arriving back in Michigan via train, he established the Morgan Family Farm in Sodus which was passed down through his children and ultimately, inspired Lynn's life mission: to help feed the world. Lynn's early childhood was filled with life on the farm where he maintained the honey bee hives that were used to pollinate the fruit blossoms. Surrounded by a large family of seven siblings, his kindergarten teacher was Wilma Bowers, the wife of his older brother, Don. At the young age of ten, Lynn's mother passed away; however received lots of love and support from his sisters. He worked as a cook for his sister and her husband, Ruth and Joe Hassle, at their local restaurant and also earned ten cents an hour spraying apple trees. At the age of 16, he purchased his first car for $50. It was a two door, 1929 Model A with red wheels. Lynn graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1943 and continued to pursue his passion for farming, working at home with his brother Don for two more years. He attended Michigan State Agricultural College. In 1945 he was drafted into World War II. At the age of twenty, Lynn entered the Army basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama where he was to be deployed on the beaches of Japan. Thankfully, the war with Japan ended just prior to his deployment to the Pacific and he was sent to serve in Germany instead. In rough seas, he rode one of the Kaiser troop carriers across the Atlantic to Europe, then took a train box car across France to Germany. Once in Germany he served as a guard on the border between East and West Germany. A rifleman in the infantry, he was stationed 100 yards from the Russian guard house where he experienced crossfire with the Russians. Lynn was eventually placed in charge of the Military Post Exchange (PX) Store. For his service, he received a Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon, and an Occupational Medal Germany. Later in life, Lynn honored his fellow Veterans in a 1953 M37 Troop Carrier Truck decorated with red roses and American Flags in the Marne, Walker, and Standale Memorial Day Parades. His family cherished this tradition for over twenty years and he was often published on the front of the Grand Rapids Press following this annual holiday. Upon an honorable discharge from the war, Lynn returned to his love for farming and entered Michigan State University where he furthered his studies on the subject. At 23 years old, he met and fell in love with Stella Totzke through the Junior Farm Bureau. Stella and Lynn were married on September 10, 1949 in Baroda, Michigan at Zion Evangelical Church. The couple set out on their honeymoon traveling around Lake Michigan, and then returned to East Lansing where Lynn completed his Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture. After graduation, they moved across the road from Stella's parents into a humble house which was previously occupied by farm workers. With the help of Uncle Albert, they built and installed new floor to ceiling kitchen cabinets. It wasn't long until they were able to purchase their first house in nearby St. Joseph. There, the couple had three children, Kay (1953), Jeff (1955), and Kurt (1957) who were all born at the General Hospital in St. Joseph. Lynn began working for Fred Granger, who started Producer Services, purchasing fruit and vegetables from area farms to be processed and sold to organizations such as Gerber Baby Food. During his four years there he supervised the work of sixty employees. In 1957, Lynn was hired by Allied Signal (now Honeywell) and the family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. They moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1959 where they bought a new home, on Hachmuth Drive in Comstock Park. Lynn continued his work for Allied as a Pesticide Advisor for area fruit farmers and became the top salesman in the United States. He developed the Sulf-N-45 program which became the most profitable product in Allied's Division of Agriculture. After he closed three of their offices, in Kalamazoo, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis, Lynn became an early remote worker, setting up shop in the basement of the family home. Following his retirement from Allied, he continued as an independent contractor for 5 years working as a consultant to local farms and selling ammonium sulfate fertilizer. Committed to his mission to feed the world, Lynn enjoyed a very successful career. A man who strived to live his life with integrity, Lynn was a longtime member of St. John's United Church of Christ located on Lake Michigan Drive in Grand Rapids. He served as a church board member several times as well as the Building and Grounds Committee which included maintaining the Church Camp for many years. Lynn and Stella were active members of their church all throughout their life. In their final years, they were active members at Trinity Congregational Church on Four Mile Road in Alpine Township. Lynn and Stella were blessed to travel all 50 United States as well as many trips abroad. Together, they went to Canada, Mexico, Chile, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Lynn loved to fish and spent many summers with his grandchildren, Daniel and Amy, on a small family fishing boat in Newaygo, Michigan. In 1997, Lynn and Stella purchased a winter house in a mobile home park in Lake Placid, Florida. Lynn's involvement in community life was extended to his residence in Lake Placid, Florida where he served as the president of their retirement community. He spent his years of retirement working for his daughter and son-in-law's local business, George Hofacker Equipment, on the northwest side of Grand Rapids. He stayed busy mowing the twenty-acre grounds, working as a salesman, and tending to many other responsibilities, offering his years of experience to the success of their business. He took care of his neighbors and the church property, always making sure their lawns were mowed and maintained. He made sure all of his children and grandchildren went to college and remained engaged in the lives of his great-grandchildren too. Lynn's passion for farming was ever present, attending reunions at the Berrien County Fair Grounds for 70 years with Stella. Back at his home in Comstock Park, he maintained a large vegetable garden in his backyard for decades. He harvested black walnuts, blackberries and grapes from the Hofacker farm and remained involved with orchards throughout Southwest Michigan and groves in Florida. He made sure his children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren knew all about where their food came from and the land it was grown on. He taught them the value of hard work, ambition, resourcefulness, and resilience. Lynn and Stella set exemplary standards for the founding of a family, having been married a few months shy of 70 years. They left a legacy for their family to live up to and they were loved dearly. We take comfort in knowing that they are reunited together with God in heaven. A visitation will be held Friday, January 13, 2023 from 4pm - 7pm at Beuschel Funeral Home, 5018 Alpine Ave NW, Comstock Park, MI 49321. A funeral service will follow on Saturday at 11am at Trinity Congregational Church, 2725 Four Mile Rd NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49544. IIn lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to either of the following: Trinity Congregational Church 2725 4 Mile Road NW Grand Rapids, MI 49544 Lynn and Stella Bowers Scholarship Fund (All4099) Checks payable to "Michigan State University Mail to: University Advancement, Spartan Way 535 Chestnut Road, Room 300 East Lansing, MI 48824 Service Details. Visitation When January 13, 2023 4:00pm - 7:00pm Location Beuschel Funeral Home Address 5018 Alpine Avenue COMSTOCK PARK, MI 49321 Second Visitation When January 14, 2023 10:00am - 11:00am Location Trinity Congregational Church Address 2725 4 Mile Road NW GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49544 Funeral Service When January 14, 2023 11:00am Location Trinity Congregational Church Address 2725 4 Mile Road NW GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49544