Obituary of Gerald Manley Bowen

Gerald M. Bowen Gerald Manly Bowen, known to his family and friends as Jerry, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 9, 2015. He was born on January 11, 1952, in Key West, Florida, where his father, who was serving in the Navy, was stationed at the time. Life as the son of a Navy Captain meant that Jerry resided in eight different states before moving to Coronado in San Diego, California which became his favorite place. There, he enjoyed his pre-teen years, playing in a garage band, and constructing his first skateboard out of metal roller skates. His hobbies continued to be music, building, and design. Jerry had perfect pitch and was able to recreate any piece of music on the many instruments he played: guitar, bass guitar, banjo, piano, and harmonica. When his family relocated to the Washington D.C. area during Jerry's high school years, he played guitar in a rock band, The Gnu Generation, which performed every weekend. Despite his busy life he excelled academically and was appointed to the prestigious Naval Academy after graduating from high school. Instead of attending, he chose to accept a mission call from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to go to England for two years. In 1973 he returned home to marry his high school sweetheart, Kathryn Tull. They moved to Provo, Utah where Jerry completed his bachelor's degree with honors in two years at Brigham Young University before going on to receive his J.D. from The University of Virginia School of Law. Jerry and Kathryn had two daughters and two sons. Working as legal counsel for Exxon, beginning in 1978, Jerry's professional scope and standing grew as he travelled around the U.S., working on cases. He quickly became a sought-after expert on energy law and a featured keynote speaker at industry conferences. Later, he worked as a partner with three law firms in Washington D.C. and McLean, Virginia before going on to found his own law firm where he focused on litigating cases for whistle-blowers and oil jobbers (Petroleum Marketers Association of America members). Jerry went on to initiate a class-action lawsuit against Exxon that was litigated for 15 years and appealed to the Supreme Court. This case succeeded in changing civil case law and resulted in a billion dollar award. Jerry was remarried in 1987 to Robin Hurst (Branham) and they had a son. He played a very active role in raising his five children to be strong-willed, independent thinkers. He shared his love of dogs, downhill skiing and running with his family. Jerry will be remembered by his family and friends as someone who spoke with the same compassion to a cleaning lady, a neighbor, or someone he just met in the same way that he spoke with a Supreme Court Judge. He is preceded in death by his sister, Julia Toney, his father, Captain Alva Manly Bowen Jr., and his mother, Gladys Delavan Rawlins. He is survived by his ex-wife, Kathryn Tull and their four children and two grandchildren, and by ex-wife Robin Hurst (Branham) and their son. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Franklin Ward, 2727 Centreville Road, Oak Hill, VA 20171.