Agnes “Jessie” Bouwer

TEMPE – Agnes “Jessie” Bouwer, age 94, passed away peacefully in her home on February 12, 2024, surrounded by family, flowers, and pictures. Jessie lived a full and amazing life. She was born in Indonesia in August 1929, spent her childhood years on a rubber and coffee plantation. Her teenage years were interrupted when Indonesia was occupied by the Japanese in early WWII, and Jessie spent the next 4 years in a concentration camp. After liberation her mother moved her surviving family to Holland where she continued her schooling. She married in March 1952, and 3 months later was on the Queen Elizabeth to join her husband in Ithaca NY, then off to Auburn Alabama in 1955, before finally settling in Tempe in December 1959. She took great pride in taking care of their 3 kids and keeping the household together. It was always a treat when she would prepare a classic Indonesian meal. She was actively involved in the Tempe Garden Club. She picked up tennis and had a close group of friends she played with. She and her husband also were avid bike riders. Another favorite activity was walking around Tempe Town lake, something they especially enjoyed doing with their adult kids. After her husband of 61 years passed away in 2013, she maintained her monthly lunches with the “Dutch ladies”, meals with family and friends at her favorite restaurant, holiday meals with family and friends, daily walks in her neighborhood, and neighborhood get togethers. She always seemed so active! She leaves a legacy of kindness, thoughtfulness, sweetness, generosity, compassion and an enjoyment of life to its fullest. She is survived by a son and daughter, 5 grandkids, and 6 great grandkids. The void left behind will not be easily filled, she will be greatly missed in so many ways by so many whose lives she touched. We ask that rather than flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity, KAET, or Phoenix Zoo.