William “Bill” Roger Bowerman

Bill Bowerman died at home in Lawrence, KS, at age 82 on April 19, 2024, surrounded by his family. He had been only recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Bill was born in Syracuse, New York, to Charles and Mady (Kate Madeleine Eskesen) Bowerman on March 2, 1942. He grew up in Seattle, with avid interests in sports and astronomy. At age 13, he was featured on the front cover of Life magazine, having built his own telescope.

When Bill was a teenager, the family moved to North Carolina. He attended Chapel Hill High School, where he excelled at basketball in addition to his studies. He went on to earn a B.A. in Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, then a Ph.D. in Social Relations from Harvard University.

In 1970, he came to Lawrence with his first wife, Melissa Foster Bowerman, to join the Social Psychology faculty at The University of Kansas. They had two daughters, Christy and Eva. In his spare time, he was an inventor and held (and sold) several patents. He spent two years as a visiting professor in The Netherlands before returning to Lawrence in 1980, after which Melissa and he divorced.

He married Carolyn Roy in 1983, and turned to the burgeoning field of computers, helping in interface design and technical writing for a variety of computing and other electronic devices and software programs (the social psychologist facilitating people’s interactions with machines instead of with each other!). Around that time, he also began experimenting with visual art, first with simple black and white line drawings, expanding later into acrylics, and for the last decades increasingly into the fields of photography and scanography. He exhibited his innovative scans at galleries in the USA and abroad, winning several awards at juried art shows. He was never without a set of blank 3×5 cards and a pen to jot down an idea or a drawing.

Bill enjoyed spending time with family; walks in nature, especially at the Baker Wetlands; photography; basketball; attending local art events; music of all genres, especially 50’s boogie-woogie; and many cross-country road trips with Carolyn. He was known for his kind and generous heart, creative mind, and sense of humor.

Bill is survived by wife Carolyn Roy; daughters Christy Bowerman Roos (Bart Roos) and Eva Bowerman, and their sister Klaartje van Schuur (George Dik); grandchildren Jasper, Eric and Lara Burow and Kai Bowerman; former son-in-law Rob Burow; brothers Robert Bowerman (Beth Ann), Richard Bowerman (Cecile Burbridge), and sister Linda DeBowes (Gregg DuPont).

Memorial contributions may be made in Bill’s name to Lawrence Arts Center or Visiting Nurses Association of Douglas County, and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W 13th St., Lawrence, KS 66044.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, likely late September.