September 1, 1955 – June 19, 2024
On June 19, 2024, Randall Guy Bowden (Randy) succumbed to a severe hemorrhagic stroke which he suffered on March 15, 2024.
Randall was born on September 1, 1955 to Joy Carmen Johnston and Garth Reese Bowden in Moab. The family began in Moab and then moved between Grants, New Mexico; Price, Utah; Silverton and Cortez, Colorado; before moving back to Moab. Garth and Joy divorced early on; Joy remarried and the family grew. When all was said and done, Randall had six siblings: Gina, Rick, Mark, Shorty, Marcia, and Marty; and two half-sisters, Darci and Traci.
Randall finished school in Moab, graduating from Grand County High School in 1973. After school, he worked various jobs before joining the United States Air Force, in which he served as an airframe repair specialist stationed at Hill AFB near Ogden; Nellis AFB of Las Vegas, Nevada; San Francisco; Korea and Okinawa, Japan.
After retiring from the Air Force in 1978, Randall worked on oil & gas rigs before hiring on with Southern Paving in 1980. Southern Paving was the predecessor company to Legrand Johnson, where Randy would eventually retire in 2022. He also joined the Army National Guard in 1986, serving in Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom during the Iraq War in 2003. Randall retired from the Army National Guard as a command sergeant major in 2008.
In 1978, he met the love of his life, Kathryn (Kathy) Lear. They married in 1980 and settled down on a small property in Castleton where Randall lived with his family for the rest of his life. In 1982, Randall and Kathryn had their first son, Kevin. In 1986, they welcomed their second son, Dustin. Randall’s grandson, Kalan, was born in 2007 to Kevin and Crystal (Campbell) Bowden, and his granddaughter, Caydence, was born in 2011. In 2012, the family suffered the loss of their beloved son and brother, Dustin.
Throughout life, Randall had many hobbies such as hang gliding (in his younger years), hunting, camping, fishing, gardening, or anything else that brought him outside. He also enjoyed playing guitar, photography, his grandkids’ sporting events, and writing novels to include with Christmas cards to inform the family of that year’s happenings.
Randy loved conversation with whomever he could find, about any subject. He loved to both learn and teach, and you would often find that “helping him” would become a free lesson. He was always willing to help others in any way he could, whether it was picking up hitchhikers or helping stranded motorists along the highway.
Above all else, Randall loved being a father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, brother, son and grandson. He filled these roles with enormous love for all of his family and friends.
Randall was preceded in death by his brother, Shorty (Edmund); sister, Gina; brother, Mark; mother, Joy; and son, Dustin. Randall is survived by his wife, Kathy; son, Kevin; his grandchildren, Kalan and Caydence; his surviving siblings, and many nieces and nephews.
At Randall’s request, cremation has taken place and a memorial service for Randall will be held on Saturday, June 29 at 11 a.m. at the LDS Stake Center (701 Locust Ln., Moab).
Messages to the family can be sent at spanishvalleymortuary.com.
