Byron Bower

Funeral Services: Will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. at the Cumberland Community Building in Cumberland with burial in the Massena Center Cemetery, north of Massena. A luncheon will follow the committal service at the Community Building.

Visitation: Will be held on Saturday, September 14th from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Steen Funeral Home in Massena with the family greeting friends from 6 to 8 p.m. 

Memorials: Memorials may be made to the Byron Bower memorial fund to be established by the family. 

Byron Bruce Bower was born September 15, 1926, the son of Daniel Edwin and Leah Rachel (Pickrell) Bower. He passed away at his daughter’s home on Saturday, September 7, 2013, at the age of 86.

Byron was raised and attended elementary school in Bridgewater. He graduated from Fontanelle High School in 1944. On August 22, 1948, he was united in marriage to Bernadine Darrow in the North Massena Baptist Church. To this union four children were born: Dwight, Lisa, Lynnette, and Dallas. They lived and farmed in Adair County all of their married life.

Byron had a passion for conservation and raising cattle, was a church deacon and Sunday school teacher, and was a rural youth sponsor in his younger years. He was a past member of the North Massena Baptist Church and Bible Baptist Church of Anita. He recently attended the Massena Baptist Church and the First Baptist Church of Cumberland.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Bernadine Bower in 2012; sister, Dorothy Lovely; and two brothers, Kendall and Collins Bower.

He is survived by his children, Dwight Bower and wife Joyce of Massena; Lisa Karas and husband Galen of Fontanelle; Lynnette Hamedi and husband Reza of Auburn, Washington and Dallas Bower and wife Cheri of Sedro-Woolley, Washington; twelve grandchildren, Christopher and Amber Bower, Courtney and Jana Bower, Charles and Dana Bower, Derek Bower, Andrew and Melissa Karas, Peter and Abby Karas, Monica and Ross King, Ariel Bower, Alexander and Angela Bower, Alleana Bower, Kamron Hamedi and Meetra Hamedi; thirteen great grandchildren; foster sister, Shirley Jorgensen of Fontanelle; other relatives and friends.