William Bowling Jr.
70, Former Valley resident
Aug. 30, 1949 - May 6, 2020
William (Bill) C lark Bowling Jr. passed away on May 6, 2020 in the comfort of his own home in Simi Valley, CA.
He is survived by his wife, D ebra; son, Justin (Darlene) Eldridge; t wo daughters, Margaret and Nancy; two sisters, Anne Mittman and Margaret (Mike) S trahm; grandchildren, Damien and Demi; and many nieces and nephews.
He was born on August 30, 1949 t o William and Jane Bowling in Berkley California. He served in the U.S. Army for nearly 10 y ears where he spent one tour in Vietnam and then served as a Drill Sergeant in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. He continued his education in the Army and spent time working on Nuclear Plants in Panama. He received the following medals: The National Defense Service Medal; Republic of V ietnam C ampaign Medal;, Army Commendation Medal; Vietnam Service Medal; Good Conduct Medal; Bronze Star Medal w/Oak Leaf Cluster; Nuclear Reactor Operator Basic Badge; and the Republic of V ietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation. Following his service, he worked at the Geothermal Plant as well as Strahm and Sons Family Farm in the Imperial Valley, CA. He then decided to continue his education at Imperial Valley College transferring to C alifornia State Polytechnic University, P omona, CA where he earned his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and graduated near the top of his class.
He w orked at A erojet Rocketdyne for 35 y ears where he helped develop software, design engines, and much more. His dedication to his work w as evident in the many accomplishments achieved throughout the years. In his spare time, Bill loved watching baseball (Mike Trout was his favorite player), reading, learning about history, and especially F astpitch Softball. He c oached both his daughters in t he S imi Valley Girls’ Softball League where he would eventually become President and help to r evive the league. H e was instrumental in the planning and fundraising for Big Sky, “The very best venue to p lay softball”. Bill lived for his family as seen through his many sacrifices and love he shared with them throughout the years. His selflessness, honor, loyalty, determination, i ntelligence, a nd love impacted all who met him.
He may be gone but his legacy will forever live on.
Due to the recommendations made by the health officials, we do not have the opportunity to celebrate Bill. We will be holding a service at a later date t o honor Bill and cherish the memories he blessed us all with.