Barbara Ellen Henneke Bower
On Tuesday, September 25, 2018, Barbara Ellen Henneke Bower, 77, left her loved ones to fend for themselves. With one last look of her beautiful brown eyes and a small sigh, she said goodbye to her husband of 56 years, W. Scott Bower III; her brother, John H. Henneke; her children, Lois Bower Bjornson (Dave), Rena K. Bower, W. Scott Bower IV (Kelly) and John A. Bower (Marissa); along with her much beloved grandchildren, Toni, Nels, Andrew, Kylan, Gunnar, Grace, Johnny, Odessa and Mary.
The angels who came to greet her were her parents, Henry J. and Mary Ellen Henneke; siblings Marjorie Henneke Overturf, Christina Henneke and William Henneke; and her childhood friend and cousin, Patricia Daniels Bougher.
She spent a good portion of her life traveling the country with her husband, and the rest of her time taking care of people as an emergency medical technician and nursing assistant at Fairview Valley Nursing Home, and as a mom, friend and confidant. Her smile, as big as the Monongahela River, was always given freely and often. Her kindness and grace warmed all those around her. Her iron will and determination to smile through the pain was admired by all who had the privilege of knowing her. “Look on the bright side” and “tomorrow’s another day” are just an example of the irrepressible positive thoughts she held dear. And her strength – there is no measure – the strength that got her through the day was unimaginable to most. She was a lover of music and life and it showed in everything she did and thought.
Her loved ones like to picture her pushing a lawn mower, a pair of clippers in her hand, her body gleaming with sweat and the sun shining down on her – and a body with no pain, a body finally as strong as her will always wanted it to be – and she tilts her head back to collect the sun on her face and she smiles like the happiest person in the world. And there stands their Momma, with her rose-colored glasses firmly in place.
Friends will be received from 3 to 7 p.m., the time of a memorial service, Friday, September 28, in Greenlee Funeral Home Ltd., 42 Bank Street, Fredericktown, PA 15333. Interment will be private.
A guest book and personal condolences may be accessed at www.GreenleeFuneralHome.com.