VERA JUANITA BOWER

Vera Juanita (Holden) Bower was born May 3, 1916, in Mountain View, Missouri. She was the second child of Joseph Henry and Clara Virginia (Tuttle) Holden. The family lived in Missouri and Kansas before moving to Iowa. After graduating from Malvern High School in 1934, Juanita worked for different families in the area. She got the opportunity to teach country school and began her teaching career. She taught at Oak Bluff #1 near Council Bluffs as well as Mt. Vernon, 4-Corners and Good Fellows schools near Malvern. She was united in marriage to Glen Bower on May 17, 1942, in Omaha, Nebraska. They lived on a farm near Malvern and Juanita continued to teach school “just up the hill” from their home. In 1946 they rented a farm one mile west of Red Oak and then purchased a farm, two miles west of Red Oak in 1957. As time went on, Juanita worked for her brother-in-law, Wilbur Bower, at his restaurant, the Sky Way, for a few years and then she was offered a job at J.C. Penney. While in Red Oak, Juanita was active in the United Methodist Church, UMW, Mother’s Club, Monday Club, Summit Hill Club, and was a 4-H leader. On January 12, 1991, Glen passed away and Juanita continued to live on the farm. In 2008, she sold it to Roger Carlson who graciously allowed her to stay on the farm until she decided to move. In 2010, Juanita moved to Auburn, Neb. where she lived in her own apartment for seven years. On September 8, 2017 she was moved to the Good Samaritan Center in Auburn where she passed away on November 12, 2017. Juanita was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Carl, sisters, Vada Bateman and Willadean Johnson, many brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, and nieces, Sharon Powers and Colleen Billings. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Ron Jones of Auburn, Neb., grandchildren, Scott (Amy) Jones of Aurora, Neb. and Rhonda (James) Cooke of Shawnee, Kansas, great-grandsons Cale and Cameron Jones and Koby and Carson Cooke, brother-in-law Dr. Tom Johnson of Sidney, Iowa, a niece, several nephews, friends, and extended family Bill and Ida Dixon and family. Funeral services will be held 11 AM Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at the Nelson-Boylan-LeRette Funeral Chapel in Red Oak, Iowa. Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation with the family was Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at the Nelson-Boylan-LeRette Funeral Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society or the First United Methodist Church. Nelson-Boylan-LeRette Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.