Robert "Bob" Graves Bowers
11/5/1932 - 1/8/2026

Robert “Bob” Graves Bowers, Jr., M.D., of Kerrville, passed away on Thursday, January 8, 2026. He was born in Liggett, Harlan County, Kentucky, on November 5, 1932, to loving parents Robert Graves Bowers and Gladys Ora George Bowers. His father worked as a bookkeeper for the U.S. Coal & Coke Company mine, and his mother was a teacher. Bob’s arrival was eventful. His father had returned home with Dr. Buttermore, only to find Bob’s nearly three-year-old sister running free, while baby ‘Bobby’ had already been born. On the hurried trip to fetch the doctor, his father drove along a rough road and broke an axle, causing a considerable delay. Bob was born just a few days before the presidential election, prompting the doctor to joke that the newborn should be named Franklin Delano.

Five years later, a “wrong turn” in the family car landed Bob at Dr. Buttermore’s office for an unwelcome tonsillectomy, a first, if reluctant, step toward his interest and career in medicine.

Always curious and a bit mischievous, young Bob and a friend would sneak down to the local mine to place bag lunches by the entrance and watch them fly when the miners set charges. The family later moved to Dayton, Ohio, and then to Dallas for his senior year of high school, where he played basketball for the North Dallas Bulldogs and graduated in 1950.

Following a family tradition, Bob attended Baylor University from 1950-1953. His father played football for the Bears when they won the Southwest Conference in the 1920s, and his mother, Gladys, and sister, Carolyn, were also Baylor graduates. Bob was later welcomed into an extended family that included his stepmother, Lorene Carson Houston Bowers, also a Baylor Bear. Bob shared countless stories of his college days. While at Baylor, he joined the U.S. Air Force ROTC program and earned a pilot’s slot, but was released to attend Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, promising to serve in the Air Force after graduation.

Bob met his future wife, Marianne Broden, on a blind date during his second year of medical school. He graduated at age 24 and began his medical internship in Oklahoma City. After three years of dating, they married on June 20, 1958, at First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, in a ceremony officiated by his brother-in-law, the Rev. Robert P. Douglass. On the way to the wedding, Bob was pulled over for speeding at the Oklahoma-Texas border and had to convince the officer that he was going to be late for his own wedding ceremony because he had been seeing last-minute patients. The couple honeymooned in Oklahoma City.

Bob tried to fulfill his promise to join the Air Force, but the Air Force was downsizing after the Korean War. He instead joined the U.S. Public Health Service as a lieutenant (O-3) and was detailed to the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Merchant Marine in San Pedro, California. In 1959, the couple’s “extended California honeymoon” was interrupted by the birth of their first child, Laura. The family later moved to Terrell, Texas, where Robert “Rob” was born. After four years of making house calls for $2 (“real doctor” work as Bob would say) the family relocated to Temple, Texas, where he completed his ophthalmology residency at Scott & White Hospital and Clinic from 1964 to 1967. Shortly afterward, his younger son, Kent, was born. Bob remained at Scott & White as a clinical instructor from 1967 to 1971.

At the invitation of Dr. Barney K. Williams, the sole practicing ophthalmologist in Kerrville, Bob and Marianne moved to Kerrville. Dr. Williams generously provided several months of free office rent and a patient list to help Bob establish his practice. The couple became active members of First Presbyterian Church of Kerrville, serving as Elders, and joined medical mission trips to Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico and beyond, providing surgeries to people in remote areas, often accompanied by friends Dr. Maury and Pat Jackson.

The family recalls many stories of Bob. In 1975, eager to see his Baylor Bears face Penn State in the Cotton Bowl, he loaded everyone into the station wagon, declaring he couldn’t wait another 50 years for another championship game. It was a memorable adventure for all. Over the years, he would drive to the top of a hill to catch Baylor games on the radio, grumbling about the distant reception, which he jokingly called “Radio Hong Kong.” Always a man of ambition (and charm), he once bought and restored a 1946 GMC truck with Marianne’s permission, thrilling his sons with rides to school and later sharing the truck with his teenage drivers.

Following his retirement, he and Marianne enjoyed entertaining friends and creating lasting memories. They were members of a dinner club with friends for over 30 years and traveled the world together. Summers were reserved for grand adventures with his grandchildren, filled with borderline mischief, questionable science experiments for his grandsons and affectionate nicknames for his granddaughters, whom he lovingly numbered as “Minnie Mouse 1, 2, 3…”

Bob was known for his devotion to family and patients, his love of storytelling, genuine kindness, and a fondness for sweet treats. He especially loved summers by the Guadalupe River at “The Bears’ Lair,” spending time with Marianne, their children, and grandchildren. He found joy in afternoon drives in his restored Model A and quiet hours in his yard planting trees, cutting limbs, and digging holes. Over his lifetime, Bob planted more than 30 trees, leaving a legacy wherever he lived. His life was marked by humor, generosity, and a spirit that touched everyone who knew him.

Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Marianne; his parents; his sister, Carolyn Sullivan, and her husband, Mort Sullivan; his sister-in-law, Charlotte Douglass, and her husband, Robert Douglass; his nephew, Perry Douglass; and his son-in-law, Al Lutz.

He is survived by his daughter, Laura Bowers Lutz of Kerrville; sons Robert Bowers (Myrna) of San Antonio and Kent Bowers (Eva) of Kerrville; grandchildren Alison Lutz Waldon (Mason) of Pflugerville, Grace Bowers Harrington (John) of Mountain View, Calif., Meredith Lutz Newman (Collin) of Farmers Branch, Caroline Bowers of Colorado Springs, Colo., Esther Bowers of Austin, Cole Jacoby Lutz of Austin, Robert Broden Bowers of Denver, Colo., and Sara Marianne Bowers of Kerrville; great-grandchildren Jenson Waldon and Maya Harrington; nephews Brett Sullivan (Edna) of Rockwall, Bryan Sullivan (Michele) of Chantilly, Va., Stuart Sullivan (Teri) of Louisville, Ky., and David Douglass (Donna) of Orlando, Fla.; and a dear friend, Dixie Williams of Kerrville, along with many other friends and loved ones.

A memorial service in his honor will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville, officiated by the Rev. Jasiel Hernandez Garcia. Prior to the memorial service, at 10:30 a.m., a private ceremony will be held at the columbarium at First Presbyterian Church. Following the memorial service, a reception to celebrate his life will be held at Ryan Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Medical Ministry International at P.O. Box 1339, Allen, TX 75013; Witnessing Ministries of Christ — A Presbyterian Sponsorship Program of the Dalit Children of India at P.O. Box 5516, Fresno, CA 93755-5516; the Baptist Haiti Mission at 13420 Eastpoint Centre Drive, Louisville, KY 40223; or the charity of one’s choice.

The family of Robert Bowers wishes to extend sincere thanks to his dedicated physicians and the staff at Peterson Regional Medical Center; the caring staff and caregivers at Juniper Independent Living Kerrville; Morningside Ministries at Menger Springs Kendall House in Boerne; and Alamo Hospice.

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