Lt. Gen. Alpha Lyons Bowser Jr. dead at 92
By Kalani Wilhelm
Advertiser Staff Writer
Marine Lt. Gen. Alpha Lyons Bowser Jr. was an American hero. Bowser died Sunday at his home in Kailua.
He was 92.
Alpha Lyons Bowser Jr. "was dearly loved by everyone," his wife said.
He saw action in the Pacific in World War II in the New Georgia, Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima campaigns and during the Chosin Reservoir and Inchon-Seoul actions in the Korean War.
Bowser's 39 years in the Marines spanned five decades. His many decorations included the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit.
Betty Bowser described her 20 years of marriage to him as "old-fashioned, happy and full of hours of conversation."
"He was dearly loved by everyone," she said. "He lived a very fine life."
Bowser retired from active duty in 1967. He moved to San Diego upon retirement before settling in Kailua in 1983.
Bowser was born Aug. 21, 1910, in Crafton, Pa. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1932 and immediately joined the Marines.
Betty Bowser said her husband did not like ocean sailing and would travel only if he could see land. "He didn't like it, but he joined the Marines anyway," she said. "I always found that quite amusing.
Robert E. Talmadge, family friend and vice president for the Aloha Chapter of the Chosin Few, called Bowser "a man of great honor and courage."
"He personified the phrase 'officer and a gentleman,' " Talmadge said.
Joan Bowser DeLon said people would remember her father for a kind heart, humor and knack for telling a good war story.
"The Corps was his life," she said. "He could go on (telling a story) forever. I kept hearing new and different ones. I would never get tired of them."
A memorial service will be held Friday at 11:30 a.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
He is also survived by Betty Boyd Bowser's children, Joan Bowser DeLon's family, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
