Robert Fredrick Bowes

Robert ‘Bob’ Fredrick Bowes of Grand Rapids passed away on Saturday, September 17, 2023 at the age of 74. Bob was born in Chicago, IL on December 20, 1948. He was a graduate of New Trier High School in Wilmette, IL where he played varsity basketball. Bob grew up spending the summers in Michigan at his family cottage in the small town of Crystal. He fell in love with Michigan and spent his days golfing, fishing, waterskiing and embracing all things lake life. Everyone who knew Bob knew the cottage was his favorite place to be and he continued to spend the summers on Crystal Lake until his final days. He will be greatly missed by the community of friends that was built there. After graduating high school in Wilmette and traveling for a few years, Bob returned to Michigan where he lived in Saugatuck and worked as a carpenter. He took pride in his craft and continued to build things for others throughout his life. Bob later returned to Chicago and became an executive in a headhunting firm. He began competing in ironman triathlons which led him to meet his former wife, Norrine, at a fitness club. Bob and Norrine started a family and settled in Grand Rapids in 1994. They raised four children together. His kids fondly remember his enthusiastic support at their sports games, the classic rock he played for them on car rides, and his many (many) puns, jokes, and catch phrases. They will dearly miss the ways he expressed his love, joy, and pride in each of them. He always made sure they knew he loved them and was thinking of them. Bob was a lighthearted, generous, and consistent friend who cherished nothing more than sharing a meal, a drink, or a conversation with those near and dear to him. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Bettie; and his younger brother, Brian. He is survived by and dearly missed by his children, Jillian (Drew) Pettinga, Alex Bowes, Thomas (Lauren) Bowes, Griffin (Tori) Bowes; beloved granddaughters, Phoebe and Violet Pettinga; and his former wife, Norrine Long. A small, private memorial service will be held in the spring to celebrate his life at his favorite earthly place; Crystal Lake.