Obituary of Paul F Bowlin

Bowlin, Paul F., M.D. passed away on December 4, 2023 at Friendship Village in Bloomington, MN, where he and his wife Helen have resided since 2019. He was 94 years old. Born on June 1, 1929 in Sioux City, IA, he attended public schools in Sioux City and Des Moines. He enrolled in Coe College at the age of 16. Two years later, he transferred to the University Minnesota, where he completed his undergraduate training and attended medical school, graduating in 1953. He interned at the US Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA and served tours of duty as a US Marine Corps medical officer in Korea and Japan. On June 18, 1955, he married Helen Joanne Rennell, whom he met at the University of Minnesota when both were students, Paul in medicine, Helen in nursing. After a honeymoon in the Canadian Rockies, they moved to Seattle where Paul completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington. They settled in the Twin Cities, first in Minneapolis, then in Richfield, and eventually in Golden Valley. His fascination with medicine began at an early age. While still a teenager, he helped his grandfather, a small-town physician in Northeast Iowa. Together, they made house calls, compounded medicines, and delivered babies. During thirty years of private practice, he specialized in internal medicine. He served on the clinical teaching staff of the University of Minnesota Medical School. He concluded his career at Fairview Hospital as Director of Medical Affairs and then as Director of Development for the Fairview Corporation. He retired in 1994. Paul served on the Metropolitan Health Board and as President and Board Chair of the Hennepin County Medical Society. For many years, he served on the admissions committee at the University of Minnesota Medical School. An enthusiastic fan of Minnesota sports, accomplished outdoorsman, and avid world traveler (always with Helen), he loved to spend time at his cabin on the St. Croix River, especially in the company of his children and grandchildren. He was dangerous cribbage player. He was preceded in death by his father, Paul Lewis Bowlin (1899-1977) and his mother, Esther Leona Bowlin (1900-1997). He is survived by his loving wife, Helen Rennell Bowlin, by his children and their spouses, Mary Bowlin Steinberg and Daniel Steinberg (Novato, CA), John Bowlin and Mimi Staub Bowlin (Princeton, NJ), and David Bowlin and Joan Mason Bowlin (Edina, MN), and by his grandchildren (and spouses) Joseph Steinberg and Alex LaPlante (Toronto, Canada), Adam Steinberg (Denver, CO), Nicholas Bowlin (Gunnison, CO), Isaac Bowlin (Durham, NC), Hannah Bowlin, Alayna Bowlin, and Noah Bowlin (Minneapolis, MN). The funeral will take place at Westminster Presbyterian Church (1200 Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403) on January 27, 2024, 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Minnesota Medical Foundation (McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St SE, Ste 500, Minneapolis, MN 55455) or Westminster Presbyterian Church.