On Friday, December 22, 2023, Jane Harvard Bowyer, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away at the age of 82. Jane was born on September 30, 1941, in Brooksville, Florida to Samuel Carnes and Jimmie Brown Harvard. She grew up in Brooksville, FL and attended Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA as a boarding student until her high school graduation in 1960. She then attended Emory University where she joined the Alpha Omega chapter of Tri Delta sorority and received a Bachelor of Art in Political science in 1964. While a senior in college, Jane married James (Jim) Wallace Bowyer, a Georgia Tech student from Jackson, TN, and Jane’s husband for nearly 57 years.
While Jim served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Vietnam from 1965 to 1968, Jane lived in Brooksville, FL and worked as a schoolteacher and at the famous Roger’s Christmas House. Upon returning from tours of duty, Jane and Jim lived in Tampa, FL and eventually settled in Orlando, FL in 1968.
Most important to Jane was her family. Jane loved family gatherings, cooking, celebrating holidays, cross stitching, sharing wine, traveling, reading, spending time on the Rainbow River in Dunnellon, FL and time in the mountains of Cashiers, NC. Summer trips to Captiva Island, FL were always a highlight and an opportunity for Jane to add to her vast shell collection. She enjoyed many trips in the United States as well as in Europe and relished the history she learned and the people she met along the way.
She was a proper Southern woman who treasured traditions and was a generous, loyal, and supportive wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a member of The Rosalind Club and the Cathedral church of St. Luke. Jane was a consummate hostess and knew how to throw a great party. She loved entertaining friends and family in her home for whatever occasion called for a celebration. Every holiday was observed with decoration, food, and activities with Christmas being the biggest celebration of all.
Jane encouraged her family in their many endeavors, while staying very busy with her own hobbies and civic opportunities. She was a member of the Junior League of Greater Orlando and an active Tri Delta alum, helping to establish the Tri Delta chapter at the University of Central Florida. She worked with her fellow Brooksville native, Bill McCollum, interviewing applicants for the U.S. Naval Academy and was a Board Member for the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College for many years.
Jane and Jim were very active in the Georgia Tech community and loved attending Georgia Tech football games with family and friends. Always loyal Yellow Jacket fans, they were proud to support Georgia Tech in whichever sport or educational opportunity was at hand. Go Jackets! THWG!
Jane is preceded in death by her husband, father, and mother. She is survived by her three children, Elizabeth Bowyer Stephens (Bob), Katheryn Audrey Bowyer and Samuel Carnes Bowyer (Julie), five grandchildren including, Katheryn Stephens Welle (Mark), Charlotte Ann Stephens, Jane Elizabeth Stephens, Evans Samuel Bowyer, Caroline Lillian Bowyer and her forever faithful canine companion, Millie. Jane is also survived by her brother-in-law, Fred Bowyer, and many nephews and nieces.
A service will be held for Jane at 11:00 am at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke (130 North Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801) on Saturday, January 20, 2024, with a reception in the Great Hall after the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in memory of Jane Bowyer. (Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Post Office Box 2328, Orlando, FL 32802.)
Jane Harvard Bowyer
