Major Alan Douglas Bowlsby (US Army, Retired)

Major Alan Douglas Bowlsby (US Army, Ret.), 77, of Palmyra, PA, passed away on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Hershey, PA, after a short battle with lung cancer. Born November 26, 1940 in Yakima, WA, he was the son of the late Alan L. and Emma (Lithgow) Bowlsby. Doug was married nearly 58 years to Patricia Ann “Pat” (Burger) Bowlsby who passed away in 2017.

Known as “Doug” to family and friends or “Big D” to his grandchildren, he and Pat lived an interesting and exciting life.  They lived and traveled all over the world through both the military and as expats. 

An engineer by trade, Doug served 22 years in the US Army.  After a tour in Vietnam as the Company Commander of Bravo Company 34thEngineer Battalion, he attended the University of Missouri – Rolla and obtained his BS in Civil Engineering.  During his military career, Doug served in the Army Corps of Engineers and as a Procurement Officer.  From flood control in Louisiana, to underground nuclear testing, to the Chief of Procurement for SOUTHCOM, he retired in 1988 while at the Pentagon. Using those experiences, he worked in both the private and public sectors for 20 years after retiring from the military, including spending nearly 4 years overseas working on USAID contracts in Macedonia and Afghanistan.  

In 2008, after selling his company, CMT Solutions, Doug and Pat embarked on an 8 year journey back and forth across the US in their motorhome as “Workcampers”.  Their favorite spot in all of their travels was the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Doug’s hobbies included woodworking, reading, and more reading!  He had an eye for detail and created impressive furniture and toys. The last few years, he was a voracious reader and never left home without eBooks on the iPad.  

Doug was preceded in death by his wife, Pat, and oldest grandson, Kyle.  He is survived by his brother, Michael Bowlsby and wife Judy of Elizabethtown, KY, son, SFC Alan Douglas Bowlsby, Jr (US Army Retired) and wife, Angela, of Hampstead, NC, and his daughter, Victoria “Tori” Petrouskie and husband, Brian, of Palmyra, PA.  He had 12 grandchildren: Kyle Bowlsby (2007), Zachary Bowlsby, Michaela Bowlsby, Kaitlyn Lewis, Kaley Bowlsby, Destiny Bowlsby, Morgan Bowlsby-Sclafani , Alyssa Bowlsby, Tyler Bowlsby, Alan “Trey” Bowlsby III, Brianna “Anna” Petrouskie, and Aaralyn Bowlsby. 

A small ceremony will be held on Sunday, November 11, 2018, at 1:00 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church Memorial Garden in Wilmington, NC.  Inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery will follow at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Doug’s name to the American Lung Association, www.lung.org.

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