WWII Vet, Avid Painter, Dies at 86

Obituary for William Taylor Fowler provided by Memorial Funeral Home.  

William Taylor Fowler, 86, of Rhode Island Ave, Newport, formerly of Fayson Lakes, Kinnelon, NJ, died Thursday, December 26, 2013 at Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center in Providence, RI.

Born in Atlantic City, NJ on August 20, 1927, he was the son of the late Robert Buschner Fwowler and Mildred (Taylor) Fowler.

He was raised in Ventnor, New Jersey and graduated from Atlantic City High School and Temple University. William served in the US Navy near the end of World War II. Bill’s career spanned NJ and RI, in several different industries. He was a sales manager for Corningware, a division of Corning Glass. He also owned and operated his own business, Claussen Machine Shop in Flag Town, NJ for many years. While living in RI, he worked in HVAC sales. Throughout his life, he was an avid rower, competing with the Ventnor City Beach Patrol, the Ocean City Rowing Club, and the Viking Rowing Club. In 1952, he was inducted into the Ocean Rowing Hall of Fame, most notably for his innovations to the sport of rowing. He won the South Jersey beach patrol rowing championship in that same year for Ocean Rowing. William was also a longtime member of Trinity Church in Newport and an avid painter. Over the last 10 years, he has captured many beautiful city scenes and landscapes of the Newport area.

He was a devoted husband and father, and is survived by his wife Astrid I. Fowler of Newport, RI, and his son William Fowler, of Palmyra, NJ, as well as four grandchildren, Taylor, Brett, Lacy and Kayla. He also leaves two stepchildren, Bruce Wright and Cheryl Lynn Wright and three step grandchildren, Lars and Michelle Wright, and Rejoice Angel Triplet.

He was preceded in death by his brothers Robert and Charles Fowler.

His funeral will be held on Saturday, January 11, at 1:00pm in the Trinity Church, One Queen Anne Square, Newport. Burial will be in Middletown Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Ace Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001 or to www.alzfdn.org.