Staff Sergeant Buster Bowman

Staff Sergeant Buster Cletis Bowman, United States Marine Corp (Ret.), 77, of Walterboro passed away peacefully on Saturday afternoon, February 23, 2013, at Hospice of Charleston in Mount Pleasant.

Funeral services will be conducted 3 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, February 27, 2013 from The Brice W. Herndon and Sons Funeral Chapel, Walterboro. The Reverend David Jackson, Pastor - Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and The Reverend Dr. Eric Skidmore, Chaplin – South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program, and Parrish Associate – Forest Lake Presbyterian Church in Columbia, officiating. Entombment with full military honors provided by the United States Marine Corp will follow at Glendale Memorial Chapel Mausoleum, 2210 Mount Carmel Road, Walterboro. The family has requested that active and retired members of the South Carolina Highway Patrol serve as honorary escorts and their presence is requested at The Funeral Chapel at 2:30 that afternoon.

A native of Montcalm, West Virginia, he was born May 19, 1935, and was the son of the late Cletis Monroe Bowman and the late Ruby Fay Sexton. Buster was a graduate of Baptist College in Ladson, SC and attended Rutgers University. He honorably served his country in the United States Marine Corps from 1953-1974 where he retired with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was an influential part of the founding of the Colleton County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and was also a longtime pre-trial intervention coordinator for the Solicitor’s Office of the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, working for Solicitor Buster Murdaugh. He also served on the Colleton County Disabilities and Special Needs Board.

Surviving are his son, Michael Cletis Bowman and his wife Pam of Columbia, daughter, Teri Ann Bowman Hiott and her husband Robert of Cayce, and son, Clyde Ashley Bowman formerly of Walterboro. He is also survived by four grandchildren Christopher Stephen Flanigan of Long Island, NY, Emily Jean Bowman of Columbia, Blake Bowman and Marley Bowman. He is also survived by brothers, Larry K. Bowman (Georgia) of Summerville, Rick McDermott (Derenda) of Lexington, John McDermott (Ann) of Charleston and Pat McDermott (Kim) of Charleston, Sam Bowman and Carl Bowman, both of Ohio; and sisters, Shirley Autry (Gene) of Columbia and Mary Robinson (Greg) of Mount Pleasant; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Buster was previously married to Eva Adeline Langdale of Walterboro and was predeceased by wives, Kimberly Spahr and Teresa Lyons, both of Walterboro.

The family would like to thank the cardiac and nephrology teams at Medical University of South Carolina and the staff of the Presbyterian Village of Summerville and Hospice Center of Charleston for their compassionate care.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Flowers will be accepted, or for those that desire, the family has respectfully requested that memorial contributions be directed in his memory to: National Kidney Foundation – South Carolina Region, 508 Hampton Street, Suite 200 Columbia, South Carolina 29201.

For those that so desire, memorial messages and thoughts of condolence as well as memorable recollections about Staff Sergeant Bowman may be shared with the family by visiting our online guest registry at: www.briceherndonfuneralhome.com.

Family and friends are invited to call from 6 o’clock until 8 o’clock this Tuesday evening at THE BRICE W. HERNDON AND SONS FUNERAL HOMES, WALTERBORO CHAPEL, 1193 Bells Highway, Walterboro, 843.538.5408.

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