Robert Vernon Fowles

It is not the day you were born or the day that you die, but all the days in-between that make up a life. As he always said, “It is how you live your dash.”

Robert Vernon Fowles (Bob) was born on August 25, 1933, to Vernon Henry Fowles and Helen Grace Kenney in Delta, Utah, and grew up raising livestock, growing crops and cutting hay alongside his brothers, Kenneth (Audrey), David, Darryl (Karen), LeRoy (Nancy) and sister, Carol Ann Thayer (Ron).

After high school he attended the College of Southern Utah for two years. He served a two-year mission in Northern California for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. During his mission he corresponded with a “sweet young gal”, Mary Miller, from Draper, Utah.  After returning home, they decided it was too expensive to write letters and they were married on June 28, 1956, in the Salt Lake Temple. They were blessed with five children: Mary Ann Fowles, Sherrie LaRee Fowles Italasano (John), Robert Edward Fowles (Cerina Call), Darla Rae Fowles, and Shauna Gay Fowles Chumakov (Vladimir).

He served in the U.S. Army from 1956-1960, where he was trained in electronics, radar, and missile technology. This knowledge was used in his formal career at Hill Air Force Base, where he worked for over 35 years on the Minute Man Missile Project.

After Mary’s death, he married Lois O’Donnell on November 19, 2004, in the Bountiful Temple. They enjoyed traveling the world and doing genealogy work together.

He served in many callings in the church including as a member of the Bishopric, Scoutmaster and various teaching positions. He loved to serve and gave countless hours serving neighbors, friends, and those in need.

He was an avid genealogist and served for years as a service missionary at the Family History Library helping others find their roots. If he wasn’t searching around in the roots of his own family tree, you would find him digging around the roots of the plants in his garden which he took great pride in.

He passed away on September 15, 2022, at the age of 89. He left a legacy of 5 children, 12 grandchildren and ll great-grandchildren. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers David, LeRoy and Kenneth, his wife, Mary, and a grandson, Ryan James Italasano.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 23, 2022, at the LDS Church located at 165 South 1000 East, Bountiful, Utah. A viewing will be held from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 22, 2022, at Russon Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, with another viewing on Friday morning from 9:45-10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment-Bountiful City Cemetery.

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin about 10-15 minutes prior to the service and will be posted below.