Obituary of Martin Gorrie Fowler

Martin Gorrie Fowler Jr. 75, died from cancer on Tuesday, August 4th, 2015, at Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park. He was a devoted father, grandfather, and brother. He leaves his son, Whitfield Fowler; his daughter, Brooke Nesset; former wife, Nordis Heyerdahl; granddaughters Linnea Fowler and Isabella Bernasconi; sister Mary Alice Fowler Morgan; dog, Fun. Born in Minneapolis, the son of Martin and Alice Fowler, he grew up in St. Louis Park, MN. He graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1958, attended the University of Minnesota, and graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute with a BFA in photography. Later in life he completed an MFA in photography at Penn State University. He was a member of the Alpha Nu chapter of the Chi Psi fraternity, where he made many lifelong friends. After studying photography in school, Martin went on to a career in advertising and marketing. A highlight of his career was co-founding and running a business: the Marketing Alliance. This career also included working at Dayton's Department Store, Willis and Borg Advertising, M.R. Bolin, and Colle and McVoy. Martin loved singing, liturgical music, and pipe organs in particular. He was a long-standing member of the St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral Choir and the Minnesota Chorale. He enjoyed and drew strength from his vocal lessons up until his final days. Commemorating this love, he donated a grand piano to St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral. In his later years he greatly enjoyed collecting, restoring, and driving his antique cars. A traditional choral evensong service of his own design was held in his memory on Friday August 7th at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, followed by a private burial at Lakewood Cemetery.