Betty Bowman, age 89, died peacefully at home on the farm on December 24th, 2013.  Betty was the daughter of Bill and Eva (Baier) Lawler.  She was born and raised on the family farm in Haverhill Township that was settled by her Irish great-grandparents in 1857.  She attended Haverhill 106, a one-room schoolhouse, and graduated from the last class of St. John's High School in Rochester. Because of her incredible typing skills, she was hired as an executive secretary for the Purchasing Agent at St. Mary's Hospital.  Unbeknownst to her boss, Mr. Wolf, she was only 16 years old.

Betty met her future husband, Randall Bowman from Kansas City, MO, while living in a rooming house owned by his aunts. They married on November 19th, 1947.  After spending the first 9 months of their married life in St. Louis, MO, they bought a farm across the road from the home place.

Betty was a mother figure to many and welcomed all to her home.  She is known world-wide for her Betty Bowman's buns and her molasses cookies. She enjoyed quilting, lawn-mowing and liberal politics.  As a life-long Roosevelt Democrat she was absolutely thrilled with the election of Barack Obama.  She was a proud member of the Mothers and Daughters Club of Haverhill Township and she will miss her monthly meetings with her friends Betty and June.  She had an active social life, spending many hours with her siblings and friends at Canadian Honker and Grandma's Kitchen.

Betty and Ran took great pride in their children and grandchildren.  Betty taught, by her example, the meaning of acceptance, compassion and love for all.  She lived by the words on a plaque above her doorway, "There are no strangers here, only friends we haven't met."

Betty is survived by her children, Mark (Sharon) of Spokane, Wa.; Mary Beth (Daniel Silverman) of Hinesburg, VT; Martha (Mark Delehanty) of Haverhill Township; Margaret (Dan York) of Madison, WI.; son-in-law, Norbert Nigon of Zumbrota, MN.; sister and best friend, Evie Cierzan; sisters-in-law Margaret Lawler and Mary B Lawler and grandchildren, Sarah (Anuj Malhotra), Luke and Colleen Bowman; Eva (Jack Cook) and Peter Silverman; Eileen, Dhanya and Ravi Delehanty; James and Lexi York; Tony and Monica Nigon, and many other relatives and world-wide friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Randall Bowman, her daughter, Jane Bowman Nigon, her siblings and in-laws, Dick Lawler, Bob and Pat Lawler, Mary Louise and Gene McCarthy, Tom Lawler and Jim Cierzan. A special thanks to her friend Judi Petersohn who helped care for her at home for the last few months. Memorials may be given to Dorothy Day House in Rochester or Working Boys Center in Quito, Ecuador.